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How to 



a 64/128 MIDI Interface 




March 1989 
$2.95 U.S. 
$3,95 Canada 




"Hie Magazine for Commodore ond |!ommog|p>e, Amiga Users 

SEQUENCERS 

for the Amiga 

Software Review 

m&m Red storm 

Rising, Fast Brea 
miCA Battle Ciiess, 

Captain BioodI 

lype-in Programs 

for the Commodore 64 

nnrt 128 






Technocop. You're bad. You're cooL 
You're part of the Enforcers, a high- 
tech police task force. And it's up 
to you to lake down the sleazeball 
members of an organized crime 
empire and restore safety to tite city. 

Your weapons? An .88 Magnum (It's 
tviiice t)ie size of Harry's), a snare gun, 
a criminal radar locator and a com- 
puter wrist watch. And that's just on 
you.YourcarlaV-iyiax.thebaddest 
thing on wheels) Is equipped with 
rapid fire machine guns, killBr 
bombs, a crime computer and \mba 
acceleration. 

Yourmission? Race down savage 
highways and blow away punks. 
Check out seedy buildings where 
rats and thugs are buddies. II you're 
tough enough to survive, then it's 
backintheV-Maxandontathe 
next crime scene. 




WinatrlptoCaiiromia* 
See package tor details. 



Another 

intensely 

fun game 

from 




We turn C128 owners into C128 users, 

(For only $9.98) 




A subscription to Loadstar 128 
quarterly disk brings you a 5V4" disk, 
chock-full of great programs for your 
Commodore® 128 every quarter for 
just $9.98. 

What a way to go, 128! 

Loadstar 128 is a new software collection designed specifi- 
cally for the Commodore 1 28 by the editors of Loadstar. Every 
three months you will receive a new 5W' disk filled with new 
128-only programs not found in our monthly LOADSTAR 
collection. 



Use The Full Power of Your 128. 

Loadstar 128 issue #1 contauis eight great programs for your 
C-128, taking advantage of the 128 features like the 
80-column format, larger memory,and 
a more powerful BASIC. 



Contents of Issue #1 

(Avnitnblf iia tt back issue) 



Cliarl 128 — A t.li.irliiiiikiii(', |inigram, 
Carbuyec's Scratchpad — Make the 
best buy on that new or used car. 
Treasure Trove — A challenging card 
solitaire game. 
Boris — N'inc levels of chess. 
Plus 4 mc>n\5n?nf imigrams! 




The Best Software Value for the 128. 

Loadstar 12S is delivered direct to you four times each year for 
only $39.95. Tiiaf s only $9.98 an issue. So order today vrith the 
attached coupon or call toll free 1-800-831-2694. 

Money-back guarantee. 

If you are not satisfied with Loadstar 128 for any reason, 
return your first issue for a full refund. 

Call toll free 1-800-831-2694. 



Cwnmculofp is J (MdirmiTk of Cf^oonodciR BJcdronki, Ud. 



'lES! Please rushmemyfirstissueofLoadstarl 28 tostartmyone-yearl 
subscription for my Commodore 128 for only $39.95 postage paid. (Can- 
ada/Mexico $44.95, Overseas S57.95) Make checks payable to Softdisk, 
Inc. in U.S. funds. 

(Louisiana residents add 4% sales tax). 

Name 



Address 


Citv 


State Zip + 4 


Home Phone ( 


1 - Ext. 


a Discover U AmEx 
Card « 
Signature 


Q VISA/MC Q Payment EndoscdCU.S./undsonijr.') 
Exp. 



I SOFTDISK, INC. P.O. Hox 30008 • Shrevcport, La. 71130-OOOS CO039 | 




The Forgotten Realms 
is no place for wimps. 

Tosur\'iveourAD&D' 
computer role-playing 
games, you need charac 
ters that are smart, 
strong, fast and exper- 
ienced. TKese kind of heroes 
don't just grow on trees. 

You get tliem by having 
your characters go through 
some serious training. 

Send them to tiiLLSim, a 
magical city in tlie fOitooTtEPi 
RE^ms ' game worid. 

Transfer any character from 
Pool or RioiAnce into hiu^FAH 
(or create one from scratch), 



and play a game that's one 
vigorous workout. 

Each time you play tiiLLsrAR, 
your character will stumble 
upon a quest. To fulfill this 
mission, your hero must 
engage in different exercises, 
but nothing quite as simple as 
weight-lifting. 

For honing 
combat skills. 



there's fighting in the arena 
against ill-tempered ores or 
raging minotaurs like the one 
you see above (which inciden- 
tally is an actual IBM" screen 
display). Other activities 
include maze-running, lock- 
picking, archery, and horse- 
back-riding. 



3,-uaifiMBaBfeCMita3^ 

Every game inside HiiisrAn 
is a different experience: The 
quest and options available 
will change each time to suit 
your character's specialty 
{thief, mage, cleric or fighter). 
When you're done with 

tltusFAR, your 
character will 
emerge with 



more potent skills and a wealth 
of experience that will serve 
you in good stead in our AD&D 
computer role-playing games. 

IfKl^FAR. The training 
grounds for all FORGOTTEn 
REALMS heroes. 

To Order: Visit your retailer or 
call 1-8O0-245-4525 lo charge on 
VISA or MasterCard. 
To receive SSI's 
complete product 
catalog, send 
S 1.00 to: SSI, 
1046 north 
kcngstorff 
Avenue, 
Mountain View, 
CA 94043, 






'^SOiH 




^; 



IBM, 
C-64/128. 



&-&L 



: ADVANCED DUVOECNS S DWGONS, 
WSD, FOROOTPEN BEAIUS, ami Ihe 7SH tojo oroKjils. 
mtllj t^ATied by ond Lissd ureje? }C6n» trom TSR, ]j>&. 
C I M9 TSR he. CI >N Snxgc SlnMoni, Inc. 



STRATEGIC SIMULATiONS. INC. 






Commodore 



M A 



A 



I N 



MARCH 1988, Volume !0, Nmber3 



FEATURES 




MAKING IT PAY 54 

Computers can be real budget busters, but enterprising people 
(wtio can't program) have found ways to make them pay for 
themselves. You can try these computer money-making ideas 
in your spare time to put you back in the black. 
by Gary V. Fields 

IMPRESSIONS OF THE WORLD OF COMMODORE 58 

We sent Russ Ceccola to Philadelphia to cover the largest 
gathering of Commodore enthusiasts ever held in the U.S. Here's 
what happened when Russ encountered the World of Commodore. 
by Russ Ceccola 



COVER STORY 

MIDI SEQUENCERS FOR THE AMIGA 50 

To turn your Amiga into a desktop recording studio you need a 
MIDI interface, a compatible synthesizer and a MIDI sequencer. 
Here's an oven/iew of the Amiga's MIDI capabilities and a feature- 
by-feature comparison of the top Amiga sequencers. 
by Steve King 

COVER PHOTO: Gene Smith 
Studio courtesy of 

Advanced Sound Audio Production, Inc. 

Pennsauken, NJ 



REVIEWS 

64 AND 128 SOFTWARE REVIEWS 




AMIGA SOFTWARE REVIEWS 




Red Storm Rising6/M*e/?(Ve/-s 


18 


Battle ChessbyErvin Bobo 


34 


Fast Breakiiy ScoHjI. May 


20 


Capta in B lood by Mike Rivers 


36 


Monopoly b;' Gary V Fields 


24 


WordPerfect Library iy Gao' V. Fields 


38 


Typhoon of Stee\byMn Ryan 


26 


Torch 2081 by MnKoWer 


42 


MconbyScottA. May 


28 


Global Commander 6/ j^/ /Tee 


43 


Award Maker P]us.by Mark Cotone 


30 


Ganymed/Bomb Busiersby Jeffery Scott Hall 


44 


DEPARTMENTS 








LEHERS 


4 


ADVENTURE ROAD 




NEWS 


6 


New Windows on Mvc(\\ufeby Sliay Addams 


68 


TIPS & TRICKS 

Hints for Fun and Utility 




INSIDE Q-LINK 

AdventureLink Debulby Robert W. Baker 


72 


Compiled by Louis F. Sander 


12 


PROGRAMMING 




Gold Mine 




BAM Organizer iy CWtord D. Dedmore, Jr. 


76 


Compiled by Louis F. Sander 


14 


Dec ision Maker b^- David Leittiauser 


81 


RED STORM RISING ULTIMATE CHALLENGE 




128 MODE 




ANNOUNCEHflENT 


16 


Sequencerby Mark Jordan 


85 


PROJECTS 




AMIGA UPDATE 




Building a MIDI Interface DemebyJohnlovine 


48 


Professional Genlocks for the Am\gaby Matthew Leeds 


89 


TECHNOLOGY 




Amiga Public Domain by Gwfem Kinsey 


91 


Looking khcadbyJetlSpira 


62 


HOW TO ENTER PROGRAMS 


106 


CREATIVE COURSEWARE 

Arithmetic and hsctionsby Howard Mitlman 


63 


MAGAZINE ENTRY PROGRAMS 


108 


PUMPING GEOS 




ADVERTISERS' INDEX 


112 


Importing Bitmaps into geoPublish 6/ M3rAJD/(^an 


64 







COMMODORE MAGAZINE 3 



LETTERS 

To the Editor 

Help! I am a Mouse Killer!! My first 
1351 was purchased as soon as I could find 
one. I treat all my hardware with greatest 
respect and waa extra nice to my mouse. It 
died anyway! 

Afljer reading several articles about the 
importance of keeping the "ball" and "roll- 
ers" clean, I wasn't about to let my mouse 
get "gummed up." Every article seemed to 
agree that the best tools to use were Q- 
Tips'" and alcohol. 

After a couple weeks of "work" (using a 
very clean mouse pad), 1 carefully took my 
mouse apart. I wiped off the ball with a 
dust-free cloth, used a quality Q-Tip and a 
dab of alcohol to gently wash the residue 
off the rollers (some of it was a little stub- 
bom, but not extremely difficult to re- 
move). I made certain that no liquid got 
into the electronics. I carefully replaced 
the ball, hooked it back up to the comput- 
er and . . . Voila! I was back in business— 
almost. The little critter was clean but the 
cursor no longer moved smoothly on its 
horizontal axis. 

OK! So get it fixed, right? Three Com- 
modore Autliorized Service Centers said, 
"Junk it! Buy another one," Which 1 did, 
sort of. I did buy another one, but 1 also 
sent my first one back to Commodore. 
Hurray, they replaced it with a new one 
under warranty. They did not, however, 
supply me with any answers as to what I 
had done to kill my mouse. 

While I was waiting for Commodore to 
revive Mouse #1, 1 proceeded to use 
Mouse #2, This time my master plan was 
to clean #2 the same as #1, but do it 
much sooner. I wouldn't have to rub or 
press the rollers at all. After about four 
hours of use, I sort of gently washed the 
surface of the rollers. UH OH! Same prob- 
lem. Very erratic horizontal cursor move- 
ment Mouse #2 was on its way to 
Commodore. 

I am now sitting here with two brand 
new mice waiting to scuny into action. I 
have vowed not to let them out of their 
boxes until I know exactly how and how of- 
ten to clean them. 

What am I doing wrong? Please help. I 
am a long-time subscriber and would be 
very thankful if you would address this 
problem in your wonderful magazine. 
Chuck Skowalter 
Garden Grove, CA 

Technical Editor's Response: 

A Commodore mouse is an extremely ro- 
bust piece of equipment. The one I haue at 
home has been slammed, dropped, dan- 



gled, strangled, drowned, buried under 
books, and had its tail pulled. It keeps on 
mousin' right along. 

Here's what probably happened to yvur 
mouse: In the course of cleaning your roll- 
ers you accidentally unseated the horizon- 
tal roller. After a few tries and consider- 
ably more force than should be applied, I 
managed to do the same thing. By ivmov- 
ing the mouse's top case, I was easily able 
to snap the roller axle back into its bearing. 

If your nwuse is not under warmnty, you 
might consider removing the top case to 
clean the mouse rollers. This gives you bet- 
ter access to the rollers without the possibil- 
ity of popping them out of their bearings. 
For the faint of heart there are convmrcial 
mouse cleaners which consist of a ball with 
a special surface. A solvent is applied to the 
surface and the ball « placed in the mouse, 
which is tlwn moved about to facilitate 
cleaning. 



To the Editor: 

I am a Commodore 64 user and want to 
buy an Amiga 500 or 2000. These I can 
buy here, but some items are unavailable 
here or arc rather expensive. Can you 
please tell me the address and informa- 
tion about a company which can be trust- 
ed and that am send the items I inquire to 
Saudi Arabia? 
KhalidGhaffar 
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 

Editor's Response: 

Tussey Computer Products offers delivery 
to foreign and U£. military addresses. See 
their ad opixmte this page for a selection of 
mercfiandise. You can write to them at: 
'IVP, P.O. Box 1006, State College, PA 
16804, USA for infarmaiion on shipping 
clmrges to your area. 

Correction 

A report in our Amiga Desktop Publish- 
ing feature (January 1988) mistakenly 
stated that Electronic Arts is distributing 
DTP programs developed by Ckild Disk. 
Electronic Arts is distributing the Com- 
modore 64 program. Paperclip Publisher 
Gold Disk is distributing their own line 
of Amiga software (Professional Page, 
ComicSetter, Movie Setter, etc.). For 
information contact: Gold Disk, 2171 
Dunwin Drive, #13, Mississauga, 
Ontario, Canada L5L 1X2. 



Ccfflrnnodore 

MAGAZINE 



Addre.s.s letters for publication (o: 

Letters Editor, Commodore iMt^azine, 

1200 Wilson I>rive, West Chester, I'A 1*380 



Publisher 
Julie Bauer 



Managing Editor 
Jim Gracely 

Editor 
Sus^n R. West 

Technical Editor 
Mike RivBrs 



Art Director 
Gwenn Knapp 

Assistant Art Director 
Wilson Harp 

Art Production 
Bob Clark 

Production Monoger 
Jo-Ellen Temple 



Circulation 
Kenneth F. Battista 



ADVERTISING SALES 
Rebecca Cotton Leister 
Commodore Magazine 

1 200 Wilson Drive 

Westchester, PA 19380 

(215)431-9259 



CommodoflB Mggaiiite, VOIurjie 10, Number 3. Match 
19S9, 

Commcdote Magazine is publis}ie<j monthly by Commo- 
(jote Magazine Inc.. L200 Wilson Driw, West Chester, PA 
19380. U.S.A. U.S. subscriber rate is ^5,40 per year; 
Canadian suljscriber rate is $45.40 per year; Overseas sub- 
scriber rate is (65.00 per year. Questions conceinirtg sub- 
sciiptKsn should be difected to Commodore Magaiine Sub- 
scription Ckpartment, 6o> 651, Holmes, Pennsylvania 
19043. Phone (800) 345-8112, In Pennsylvania (800) 
652-2444 Copyright © 1988 by Oommodore Magazine Inc. 
All rights resBfved. 

CBM. PH. VIC 20, and Commodore 64 are registered 
trademarks of Commodore Electronics Ltd. Super PET and 
Commodore 128 aretrademartisof Commodore Electronics 
Ltd. toiga* is 3 registered trademark of Ccramodore-fimiga. 



4 MARCH 1989 










^\ ^^ Detroit has seen better days. RoboCop s Special Issue Auto-9, make your way past street 

^^"^ A gang of ruthless hoods has tnugs, the notorious Clarence Boddicker and the powerful 

overrun the city, and crime is out of control. ED-209 to your final battle with Dick Jones, 
s on the streets. Drug trafficking. Corruption Serving the public trust, upholding the law, and 

t's so bad a private firm. O.C.R, now runs protectirjg the innocent was never so challenging, never so 

:ment. dangerous, and never so much fun as this. 
), your job is simple-clean up the city With great graphics and great game action, the future of 

avy-duty arsenal of weapons, including law enforcement is ROBOCOP. From Data East. 



Now available for Commoa)re 64. Coming soon on IBM Amiga and Atari ST personal computers. 



mskST 



^ , Data East USA Inc., 470 Needles Drive, San Jose, CA 95112 (408) 286-7074 

Screens srtown aic tram arcaflc wspon Cwwi/Kr vsrsim may saty ' ' 

= 1983 Daia Easl USA. Irvc. RDBOCOP: TM »mS « 19S7 Onon PiclurM Corgoratliin All rlghis reserved OC«in m Odm aie regisiered irademarks et Oceaii Solmaie Mil and Oilon PIcutes Cwpctatlon. teipectivety 



NEWS • NEWS • NEWS • NEWS • NEWS • NEWS • NEWS • NEWS 



Commodore Announces 
New Amiga Models 

Uommodore has announced 
two new models in the Amiga line 
of personal computers. These two 
computers represent powerful 
conflgurationB of the Amiga 
2000. 

The Amiga SOOOHD starts with 
all of the features of the Amiga 
2000 such as a Motorola 68000 
processor running at 7.13MH2, a 
built-in 3,5-inch drive (880K 
formatted) and 1 MB of MM. It 
then adds Kickstart 1.3, an 
Autobooting Hard Disk 
Controller and a 44 MB (28ms} 
hard drive. 

The Amiga 2500 enhances the 
Amiga 2000 with a Motorola 32- 
bit 68020 processor running at 
14.26 MH2, a 68681 math 
coprocessor, a 68881 memory 
management unit and an 
additional S MB of RAM. It also 
includes Kickstart 1.3, the 
Autohooting Hard Disk 
Controller, a 40MB C28ms) hard 
drive which Is Preformatted and 
pre-loaded with system software, 

Suggested retaO price for the 
Amiga 2000HD is $2999 and for 
the Amiga 2500 is 44699. For 
more information, contact: 
Commodore Business Machines, 
1200 WOson Drive, West Chester, 
PA 19380. 

The Disc Company 
Launches Amiga 
Software Search 

X he Disc Company has launched a $1,000,000 campaign to acquire 
innovative Amiga software programs. Disc Company president 
Robert Kotick said, ' 'We are offering independent developers an 
attractive compensation package consisting of generous advances 
and significant royalties, and because of our fmanolal resources and 
marketing talent we expect to attract a number of noteworthy 
submissions." All program submissions vrill he evaluated; however, 
audio, video, graphics and entertainment programs are of particular 
interest. For details irate to: Amiga Softvirare Suhmisslon Program, 
The Disc Company, 3135 S. State St.. Ann Arbor, MI 48108. 




Worid of 
Commodore 



JL he second U.S. World of 
Commodore will be held Mi^ 19- 
81 at the Los Angeles Convention 
Center. (See page 58 for a full 
report on the first U.S. World of 
Commodore held hi 
Philadelphia.) Commodore 64, 
126 and Amiga developers, 
vendors, pubUcatlons and 
enthusiasts (as well as 
Commodore Business Machines, 
Inc.) vrill be available to show off 
the latest hardware, software and 
accessories for your Commodore 
or Amiga computer. Ticket price 
is $10 (S8 for students and 
seniors) and includes admission 
to all seminars, For details 
contact: The Hunter Group, 204 
Richmond St. W,Ste. 410, 
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 
IVa Or call: (416) 595-5906. 




Viking 1 

Uommodore Business Machines, Inc. and Moniterm Corporation 
havejomtly released a high-resolution monochrome monitor for the 
Amiga 2000. The 19-inch VUdng 1 which has a resolution of 1008 x 
800, was designed for such things as desktop publishing, GAD, word 
processing and financial applications. The Viking 1 carries a 
suggested retaU price of $1,995. For more information contact: 
Moniterm Corporation, S740 Green Circle Drive, Minnetonka, MJT 
55343, Phone: (612) 935-4151. Or call (800) 343-3000 to find the 
Commodore/Amiga dealer near you. 

Condnued un page S 



6 MARCH 1989 



FAST DELIVERy and LOWER PRICES 

ONLV FROM •sQtgtjr & Cr Commodore* 



0^ Commodore 

3i«" DISK DRIVE 



C^ Commodore* 

^ 64C ^ 




C" Commodore* 1670 

MODEM 

1200 BAUD ,i|'' ^^^ :.; 
DIRECJilV ^^■-■S- 




Includes GE05 & Quantum Link 



$129.^ 



.Jfe 



--^j 



64CVK/1541 III Drive 

64C VK/ 1541 Drive S 18020 Monitor „ 



....$269 
....$489 



'^-^' 



'mm, 



C= Commodore,.,, 

1084 COLOR 



MONITOR 

■ 640 x 400 Re 

■ 4 Operating I 

$299 



C- Commodore* 

1541 II 

Si/4" DISK DRIVE 




640 x 400 Resolub'on 
4 Operating Modes 



MiGfJAVOX 8762 ■ ■ 640 X E40 Resolulan 

■ 3 F.<<idc!s ■ 1 Vr Warrant/ , 

MAGtJAVOX S702 ■ 350 x aso Resoluton 

■ rmSiand m I Yf Warranty $179 

COMMODORE 1BD2C Color Monitor $199 



Software orders over $100 and 
Accessories under 6 pounds will 
be shipped Federal Express 

(Even at these prices) You only pay TCP's standard 
shipping charge. OrdGrsarriving before 3:00 PM our 
time will be shipped out same day. If part of your 
order is backordered the remainder will be shipped 
UPS Ground FREEI 

To order: No surcharge on MasterCard, Viaaor AMEX M Your cfitdlt card 
|9 rtol charged urttll yoyr order 1^ shipped M COO CtfdOrs accqpted with 00 
COO leo R We insure your order at roc^Ktra cost to you nShlpptng:3% 
or %b rFiinimuni \oi UPS G rou rtd . Cal I lor s hlpjpnng c harges on ExpmaG Air , 
APO.FPO.AK, HI and ^oreffln orders ■ Mali Of ders: We accept money 
orders, cartElied checks, and personal chedks. Allow 2 weeks lor personal 
and corn pan;^ checks to clear ■ We accept purchase orders from qualilJed 
Educational and Corporate Institutions ■ Defective items replaced or 
repaired at our discretion. PA defiverifis add 6% sales iax. Prices and 
temis subfect 1o change without notice, ALL SALES AnE PENAL. 

B W BHM 

, PRINTERS 



O Commodore" 

1351 MOUSE 

I Mouse & Joystbit 

Operation Ar»»v oe 

I GEOS Compatibia $is9.''^ 




Cr Commodore* 1764 

256K RAM EXPANSION ^1^9 

liC" Commodore" 
128D 

■ 12BK Memory 

■ Built-tfi 157t 
Disk Drive 

■ Detachable Keyboard 

$439^ 




Otticfl Aulom^tion/^'''''W, 
£ yr. warmnty 

1180 NEW! $Call 

1191 NEWl $Call 

1092 $319 

1124 (24-pin) ....$Call 




For alt your AMIGA 
needs. call tcpl 

5t2KHAM 

Upgracfe $159 

1010 Eirtefiial 

Floppy Drive $219 

teeo Modem $139 

Call tar other AMIGA Products 



1 28^ w/Comrn'odore 1084 Color Monitor .....$7lS' 
1230 w/Magnavox 8762 Cotor Monitor $679 




DISKS 

par box of 10 ir. t^^r^' 

BONUS DS/DD S6.B5 

MAXELL DS/DD $19.95 $9.95 

VERBATIM DSTDD $19.95 $9.95 

SONY DS/DD $19.95 $10.95 



POWER SUPPLIES 

Estes forC64 $34.95 

Microworkl for 12& - $69.95 



BRODERBUND 

Bank St. wmerM J29.S5 

Pfintthop 64 $25.95 

Urtbna V $34.95 



CIWS 

64 Accounting Syslam ..,,$115,00 

126 Accounting System $115,00 

DIGITAL SOLUTIONS 

PocKet Writa- Didkina/y $11.95 

PocJiel WrttBf II 64/528 $32,95 

SupBfPak It 64/I2C $57.95 

EPYX 

Fsstkjad $23.96 

LANCE HAFNER 
Bashetbaft.Pro Geuds or 

CourtsHte CoElega $29.95 

Full Count Baseball $29.95 

3 In 1 FoottiaK $29.95 



n Berkeley 
Softwoncs 

GEOS 128 $39,95 

GEOCak: 128 $39 95 

QEOFIIe128 $39,95 

GEOPobJish $29.95 

GEOWrilB 128 $39.95 

GEOS 2.0 $34.95 

GEOCak: $29.95 




NX-iaoo 

(i44dtii(V36NLO) $159 

NX 1000 Rainbow 
(cciDrprlnier) $229 

MX-1000C 

(Commoifci'e Inrtace) „„$174 

NX-1000C Rainbow 

fCominocJore lntef!-^ce.' 

Color Prinier) ^ $229 

NX-2400 ■.„.,, 
(24 Pin Printer) $CALL 



PROFESSIONAL SOFTWARE 
FIsat Syslam 2+ lor 5*128 ...$47.95 

Fleet System 4/128 $47.95 

TIMEWORKS 

OBlaManaflar/128 $3t.eS 

I>esklop PubHshw $39,95 

SwIttCalc 12B w/Skteways $32.95 

SyMa Porter's Parsof^ 

Financial Planner 64 $29,95 

Word Writer 128 w/SpeBar $31,95 



SUPER GRAPHIXJH 

Pnnlor Inlarl.ico .$32.95 

w/Printor Ifom Tussoy ,,.,,,,$29.95 

SUPER GRAPHIX 

Inlorfaea w/eK butter 

down barJabte fonts $54,95 

w/PtinlBr from Tussey $49,95 

SUPER GRAPHIX GOLD ,$94,95 
w.'Printfjr trom Tu&[]py j^J 95 




CHOOSE 

YOUR 

WEAPON! 




NEWl 200 XJ 

500 XJ 

The Boss 

Bat Handle ... 
3-Way 


.$11.95 
-.$14.95 
..$12.95 
..$17.95 
..$22.95 


f-,\ 



OPEN: 8:00AM ' 1 1 :00PM Mon - Frl, rO:O0AM - B:OOPM Sat, 12:00PM- 8:00PM Sun East Coast Tima 



TUSSEY COMPUTER PRODUCTS toll 

3075 Rpsfmeli Dr. Slatif CoUcgB. PA tSSOl Fat: B14.237-4i50 FREE 



1 •800-468-9044 



itCp 



NEWS • NEWS • NEWS • NEWS • NEWS • NEWS • NEWS • NEWS 



Grand Prix Circuit 

Vf raad Prix OUrcnlt for the Commodore 64 is Accolade's follow-\ip 
to their best-selling racing game Tert Drive. This flrst-person 
perspective simulation pits you against nine international 
competitors on eight tracks for the World Driving Championship 
title. There are five levels of play, each requiring more skill than the 
last. Graad Mx Circuit retails for SS9.95. For details cont&ct: 
Accolade, 550 S. Winchester Blvd., Suite 200, San Jose, CA 95128. 
Phone: (408) 985-1700. 




Nag Pius 3.0 



X oull never forget your mother-in-law's birthday again virith Nag 
Plus 3.0 on your Amiga, Nag is a scheduling system from Gramma 
Softv;rare that will verbally remind you of up to 99 events per day 
using the Amiga's built-in voice capabilities. (Or you can program an 
alarm as a screen flash or any of S4 different beUs and whistles. ) You 
can enter birthdays, anniversaries and special dates one time on 
Nag's perpetual calendar and be notified in advance every year. Nag, 
which rum in the background with other Amiga software, vrill even 
automatically dial your phone. Nag Plus 3.0 retails for $79.95. For 
further information contact: Gramma Software, 17730 15th Avenue 
HE, Suite £23, Seattle, ¥A 98156. Phone: (206) 363-6417, 




Galactic Conqueror 

X itus Software's latest Amiga release is Oalactlc Conqueror. This 
high-speed save-the-galaxy arcade game features as many as 40 
sprites on screen at once. Titus also claims that Galactic 
Conqueror features the "largest sprites ever seen on computer." 
The program retails for $44.95. For details contact: Titus Software, 
20432 Corlsoo St., C^iatsworth, CA 91311. Or oaU: (818) 709-3693. 



Paragon/Marvel Release 

JTaragon Softv;are has announced Bplder-Han and Captain 
America in Br. Doom's Revenge for the Commodore 64. The first 
in a series of programs released under agreement vnth Marvel 
Comics, Spider-Man is billed as an "Interactive comic/arcade 

adventure.' ' Dr. Doom is plotting to steal a U.S. nuclear missile, and 
Spider-Man and Captain America are called in to save New York City, 
The program is scheduled for a June release, For more information 
contact: Paragon Software, 600 Rugh St., Suite A, Greensburg, PA 
15601. Phone: (412) 838-1166, 



Rampage 



■ '; ■■&■■ A 



itivision's Bampage is now 
available for the Commodore 64. 
Licensed from Bally Midway, 
Eampage is a 3D monster-movle- 
style action game tor one or two 
players. Each player becomes 
either a giant gorilla, a lizard or a 
wolf and makes his way across 
the countiy through 157 
different cities and skylines. 
Bampage carries a suggested 
retail price of $34,95, For fiulJier 
details contact: Activlslon, 3885 
Bohannon Dr., Menlo Park, CA 
94025. Or call: (415) 329-0800, 



Mac- 
Arthur's 
War 

Jjlectronlc Arts' Strategic 
Studies Group has released 
MacArthnr's War, a 
Commodore 64 simulation of 
eight battles from the Korean 
war. The game Includes SSG's 
Warplan which allows you to 
revise the course of history. 
HacArthnr's War carries a 
suggested retail price of $39,95. 
For more information contact: 
Electronic Arts, 18S0 Gateway 
Dr., San Mateo, CA 94404. Phone: 
(415)571-7171. 



Dream 
Zone 



X ou are a prisoner of your ovra 
dreams in Baudville's latest 
release for the Amiga, Dream 
Zone. A mad scientist has locked 
you In your dream world, and you 
must use all your resources to 
find the source of your 
nightmares and overcome the 
dream state. Dream Zone is 
available at a suggested retail 
price of $49.95. For further 
information contact; Baudvllle, 
5360 52nd St„ SE, Grand Rapids, 
MI 49508, Phone: (616) 896- 
0888, 



Double 
Dragon 

iijcadia has developed a 
Commodore 64 version of the 
Kung-Pa arcade game DonMe 
Dragon. The game pits twin 
brothers against a gang of street 
thugs who have kidnapped one 
brother's girlfriend. Like the 
coin-op version, two players can 
simultaneously battle opponents. 
Double Dragon, distributed by 
Electronic Arts, retails for 
$34,99. For more information 
contact: Electronic Arts, 1820 
Gateway Dr., San Mateo, CA 
94404, Phone: (415) 571-7171. 



Continued on page 10 



8 MARCH 1989 



Pirates Continue To 
Vfia. Awards! 



r' • A- "•'fH; ■-.-'tifis''n-^i|.:t^".^T <f-7.i,.''iii'-:-.Vi 



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* Best Screen Graphics 

te 1988 Origins Awards 

R presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design 

* Best Fantasy or 

I Science Fiction Game 

g 1988 Origins Awards 

& presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design 



* 1988 Action Game 
i Of The Year 



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Computer Gaming World 



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ACTUAL SCREENS MAY VARY 



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160 LAKEFRONT DRIVE • HUNT VALLEY, MD 21030 

M«w tw MaCJNTtOBh Wso hw ttoJ-PC^and^djmpatifalea. Apple l«5S, ilc 
iSStillo.CwiimciawoM'ia 

iHnOPJUIM'CjHOOl) ??1 nil »Bi!*aaf5Banilo5(ml;3l 
onw Br MCVIS* w m»l cnest.-aami woet Iw M< 95 (speolj 8.!* 
mn tot leui u S lixm unl, HO mdHU HU SS vun Up F'm 
•NppnairUSWMaiitmiiiflnai Mm 13 weeks 10 US iteowtr 



For (mmediare Inloimaiion onihis antf oltief MicfoPrase ptoetuefs: JoJn our maPmg Ssl by Yimling to: MooProse SoWrs. Department TlM.ISOLakelrom Drive. Hum Valley. MD 2 1 030 



NEWS • NEWS • NEWS • NEWS • NEWS • NEWS • N 



The 

Ultimate 

Gambling 

Casino 

Simulation 

JJonald Trump's name seems to 
te on everything these days, 
Inclutllng this new casino 
simulation for the Commodore 64 
and Amiga. The package also 
contains S300 worth of coupons 
for services at Trump Castle 
Hotel and Casino in Atlantic Clly. 
In addition, Intracorp has 
included blackjack, roulette, 
craps, keno, video poker and slot 
machine simulations, so you can 
get your stratsgy dovra before you 
hit the boardwalk. The game 
follows New Jersey Casino 
Control Commission rules 
(except for keno and poker— not 
played in NJ), The Amiga version 
retails for $39,95, the 
Commodore 64 version for 
134.95. For more information 
contact: Intracorp, Inc., 14160 
SW 139th Ct., Miami, FL 33186. 
Or caU: (305) 252-9040. 

ProFonts 

iv ew Horizons' ProFonts Volumes I and n contain additional 
fonts for use with the Amiga word processor, ProWtlte, Volume I 
consists of professional fonts for correspondence and reports; 
Volume II includes more decorative fonts. Both packages can be used 
with other Amiga programs such as DPalnt n and PageSetter. 
PcoFoDts Tolmnes I and n are sold separately for $34.95 each. For 
ftirther Information contact: New Horizons Software, P.O. Box 43167, 
Austin, TX 78745. Phone: (512) 328-6650. 

Magellan Contest 



Commodore PC40-lli 

Oommodore has released the PC40-in personal computer. This is a 
PC/AT-compatible computer with a high performance, 12 MHz 80286 
mioroprocessor. Features Include a 101-key enhanced AT keyboard, 
1.2 MB 5 1/4-inch floppy, fast ( 19ms) 40MB hard drive, 1 MB HAM, 
built-in VGA video adaptor, three available PC/AT- and one available 
PC/XT-compatlble expansion slots and built-in parallel, serial and 
mouse ports. The PC40-in comes complete vrith MS-DOS 3,30 and 
GWBASIC 3,22. 

Suggested retail price is $8395. For more information, contact: 
Commodore Business Machines, 1200 Wilson Drive, West Chester, FA 
19380. 



'SsSSS^^SS 





Writer 64 

X imeworks. Inc. has released 
QEOS Writer 84, a QE05- 
compatlble word processor. The 
program Includes a 100,000- 
word spell checker, WYSIWYG 
previevf mode, mall-merge 
capabihty, and compatibility with 
geoPalnt and geoWrite. Backed 
by Thneworks' money-back 
guarantee, GBOS Writer 64 
retails for $49.95. For more 
information contact: Timewrorks, 
Inc., 444 Lake Cook Rd., Deerfleld, 
IL 60015. Phone: (312) 948- 
9200. 




E 



merald Intelligence is sponsoring a contest for users of their 
Ua^eUan expert systems software. A grand prize winner in each of 
three categories (Most Productive, Most Creative and Most Bizarre 
Applications) will receive a Ma|eUan Developer Package and 
Moniterm monitor (total retail value $3000). Two runners-up in 
each category will receive a Magellan Developer Package (total 
retail value $1000). Deadline for entries is June 1, 1989. The 
winners will be announced at AmiEXPO Chicago in July. For contest 
rules contact: Emerald Intelligence, 344 S. State St., Ann Arbor, MI 
48104. Or call: (313) 663-8757. 



Red Storm Rising 
Ultimate Challenge 

MarchSlisthedea^meforyouren^^^^^^^^^^^ 

ra^^p^rrrr^^^^^ 

r?o1etthehighestpossibleERyoumustchoose the Ultimate level 

in 19B4 with aPermit class submarine^ ^^^^^ 

. TlmelsoneofthefactflrsmyoymHyoucompiew 

. i„t „f time fltaiktna running and cnasing, juu uub^" 
spent a lot of tnne stamng, rm b ^^ 






want to replay it to gi 



et the time down and increase your tit. 



10 MARCH 1989 



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Not availsbia at youf locsl telailef? Call 1 BOO-SSS-iSas (Sain (o Spm ESTl lor ViSAMC ortlare: of maH checWmoney ofd«f (U.S. S) to 
ORIGIN. ee-B HafvBy Road, LoniJondwry. *IK 0OOS3. AH versions $ZS.9£. Allow ] -2 w«iks (of deBvaty, 



Compiled by Louis F. Sander 




rkis montli we have nome interesting discoveries about file- 
names and disk directories, plus the usual assortment of tips 
for all areas ofmmputing. We've even got one from tlie People's 
Republic of China! 

Regardless of where you live, we're interested in seeing your 
tips. Send them to: 

Louis F. Sander 

P.O.BoxlOWn 

Pittsburgh. PA 15237 

Don't forget to enter the programming contest! 

Programming Contest 

As we announced last month, we're running a contest to find 
short and useful reader-written programs for Commodore com- 
puters. Here are the rules: 

1. Programs must serve some usefid purpose outside the world 
of computers. Programs for science, math, business, education, 
household calculations and similar uses htm acceptable. Games 
and computer utilities are not. Of this month's programs, only 
VCR Label Printer would fit in the "usefiil" classification. No- 
tice that its purpose is not related to computers. 

2. Programs must be shorter than four blocks on the disk. If 
the directory says one, two or three, they arc OK. If the directory 
says four, they are too long. Most three-block programs are 
shorter than 25 lines, but everything depends on the length of 
the lines. 

3. Entries must be submitted on a disk, accompanied by a list- 
ing and instructions. Sorry, we cannot return this material to 
you. 

4. Judging will be based on usefulness, originality and overall 
user friendliness. The best program will be featured in "Tijis & 
IVicks" and will iieceive a prize of $100. The best of the others 
will be published and paid at our usual rates. 

5. Entries must be postmarked by midnight, March 15, 1989. 
Send them to me, at the address at the head of this column. 
Louis F. Sander 

Pittsburgh, PA 

VCK Label Printer: Video cassette recorders are everywhere to- 
day. As they say, "How did we ever get along without them?" 

Since videotapes are often used over and over, the labels that 
come with them are soon cluttered and virtually useless. This 
program uses your printer to create a neat little form which can 
be used in place of the label and kept inside the box. 

The first column of the label Ls for the starting index on the 



tape counter. A finishing index is not needed, as it is the same as 

the starting index of the next program on the tape. The second 

column is for the name of the program, and the third is for the 

playing time, a useful thing to know. 

Ralph H. Rethoret, P. Eng. 

North York, Ontario 

Canada 



100 
110 



120 

130 



140 



150 



160 
170 



180 



190 
200 



210 



220 



REM VCR 
OPEN 3, 
:C$=" [S 
INDEX" 
PRINT 13 
PRINT#3 
[CMDR R 
[CMDR S 
PRINTIt3 
[SHFT - 
SHFT -1 
PRINTU 
[SHFT + 
[SHFT - 
FOR J=l 
PRINTtf3 
[SHFT - 
[SHFT - 
PRINTn 
[SHFT + 
[SHFT - 
NEXT 
PRINTf3 
[SHFT - 
[SHFT - 
PRINT#3 
[CMDR E 
[CMDR X 
CLOSE 3 



LABEL PRINTER - R. RETHORET 
4:B$ = "[SHFT *5] " 
PACEfi] " :DS="VIDEO CASSETTE 

,C$; " [SPACE 31 ";D$: PRINTS 3 
," [SPACE 2, CMDR A] ";BS;" 
] ";B$B$B$; " [CMDR R] ";B$; " 
1 " 

, " [SPACE2,SHFT -] START 
, SPACES] TITLE [SPACE7, 

TIME [SHFT -] " 
," [SPACE2,CMDR Q1";B$;" 
] ";BSB$BS; " [SHFT +] ";B$;" 
1" 

TO 12 
, " [SPACE2,SHFT -] ";C$; " 
1 ";C$C$C$;" [SHFT -] ";C$;" 
]" 

," [SPACE2,CMDR Q]";B$,-" 
] ";B$B$B$;" [SHFT +]";B$;" 
1" 

, " [SPACE2,SHFT -] ";C$; " 

1 ";C$C$C$; " [SHFT -] ";C$;" 

1 " 

," [SPACE2,CMDR Z] ";B$; " 

] ";B$B$B$;" [CMDR E]";B$;" 

]" 



Eliminating Leading Spaces with STRS: We're students of high 
school attached to Tiinghua University in Beijing, and we're en- 
thusiastic readers oWommodore Magazine. We like the "Tips &, 
Tricks" column very much, because most of the tips are interest- 
ing and helpful to us. We've just found out a tip about STR$. 
Here it is: 

When you ase the STRS fimction to convert a number to a 
string, the computer always makes a little trouble for you. For 



12 MARCH 1989 



Tips & Tricks/64 and 128 

example, if you run: 

10A$="1234" 

20B$=STR${5678) 

30 PRINT A$ + B$ the screen will show: 

1234 5678 

A space appears between the two numbers. How to avoid it? 
Add this tine: 

25 B$ = RIGHT$(B$,LEN(B$)-1) 

Then running the program will show you: 

12345678 

There is no space between the two numbers. The original 
problem arises because the S^rR$ function returns a string that 
has a leading blank in the position where the number's sign 
would be. If t!ie original number is negative, there will be a mi- 
nus sign in p!aa» of the leading blank. 
Qiyong Bian & Chen Jiao 
Tsinghua Univemity 
Beijing, China 

Invisible Filename: This makes it impossible to see a file's name 
in the directory, and makes that file very tough to scratch. It 
only works for one file per disk. When you save the file, just put 
a colon at the end of the filename, Uke this: 

SAVE"filename;",8 
The trick doesn't work with the DSAVE command. 
Sean Peck 
Pittsburgh, PA 

Using Variables in BASIC 7.0 Filenames: The various com- 
mands for saving and loading will return a syntax error when 
you try to use a string variable such as AS in place of a filename 
inside quotes. The problem arises with DSAVE, DLOAD, 
BSAVE and BLOAD, for example, when you try something like 
this: 

100 A$ = 'PROGRAM #1" 

110 BLOAD A$ 
You can get around the problem by using the following qoitax 
instead: 

no BLOAD "" + A$ 
Something about adding your variable to the null string makes 
it much more attractive to the computer. 
Howard Melton 
Saffell,AR 

128 unSCRATCHal)le Files: The iSCRATCH command will not 
work with any file whose name begins with the («' sign. You can- 
not make such a file using the DSAVE command, but the follow- 
ing syntax will create one: 

SAVE "(<fcfilename",8 
Jeffrey C. Johnson 
AllensvUle, PA 

128 Easy Program Loadinj^ Here's a one-liner that lets you load 
programs fiom the directory listing on the screen: 
10 KEY2,"DL0AD" + CHR$<27) + CHR${75) + 
CHR$(20) + CHR3(20) + CIiR$(20) + CHRS<13) 
When you run the program, the F2 key is redefined. After the 
redefinition, use the DIRECTORY command to fist the directory 
onto the screen. Move your cursor to the start of the line that 
contains the program you want to load, then press the F2 key. 
The program will load in a flash! 



The KEY listing for F2 is an interestii^ conversation piece. It 
looks like a S3Titax error should be generated, and it does not re- 
veal what F2 actually does. (After running the program, enter 
KEY2 and see what I'm talking about.) 
Jim Willis 
Tkxarkana, AR 

128 Easier Program Loading: When you save a program, end 
its name with a shifted space and a colon, jnaking sure it doesn't 
run over 16 characters including the space and the colon. % 
load it, just list the directory to the screen, move the cursor to 
the beginning of that program's line, then press F2. 
Victor Palii2zi 
Athens, TN 

128 DOS Shell Dircclorj' Printouts: When using the DOS Shell 
program, you can get a printed copy of a disk's directory by 
pressing F3 when the directory is displayed for any of that pro- 
gram's activities (copy files, rename files, delete files, etc.) 
Brian Noggk 
House Springs, MO 

Directory: This program reads the directory from disk and sends 
it directly to the printer. It was, of course, written with extensive 
use of the 1541 disk drive manual, especially the tables map- 
ping the layout of the directory file, 
Mark Riedel 
Lombard, IL 

100 REM DIRECTORY BY MARK RIEDEL 
110 OPEN 15,8,15:PRINT#15,"I0" 

:CLOSE 15 
120 FOR A=l TO 4:READ AR$(A):NEXT 

:DATA"SEQ" ,"PRG" ,"USR" ,''REL" 
130 OPEN 1,8,2, "$" :OPEN 2,4,0 

:FOR A=2 TO 143 iGETftl , A$ :NEXT 

:N$=" DISK: " 
140 FOR A=144 TO 161:GETI1,A$ 

:IF A$<>CHR$(160) THEN N$=N$+A$ 
150 NEXT 
155 GETS1,I1$,I2$,A$,0$,S$ 

: PRINTJI 2 , N$ ; " , " ; II $ ; 12$; " ( " ; 0$ ; 

S$; ") " :PRINTJt2, 
160 FOR A=167 TO 255 :GETtt 1 , A$ :NEXT 
170 FOR A=l TO 8:GETltl,TY$,A$,A$:N$ = "" 
180 IF ST THEN 270 
190 IF TY$="" THEN TY$=CHR$ (128 ) 
200 FOR B=3 TO 18 :GET#1 , B$ : N$=N$+B$ 

:NEXT 
210 GETU,B$,B$,B$,B$,B5,B$,B$,B$,B$, 

L$,H$ 
220 LO=ASC (L$+CHR$ (0) ) +256*ASC 

(H$+CHR$(0) ) :IP L0=0 THEN 250 
230 A$=STR$(LO) 
240 IF ASC(TY$)>128 THEN PRINT#2,A$,- 

SPC(5-LEN(A$) ) ;N$;" "; 

AR$ (ASC{TY$)-128) 
250 IF A<8 THEN GETI 1 ,TR$ ,SE$ 
260 NEXTiGOTO 170 
270 CLOSE 1,2:PRINT«2,CHR$ (12) :END 

ftl Horee Race: Now you can feel the excitement of horse races 
in the comfort of your own chair and without the fear of losing 
actual money. At the begirming of each session, you start with 

$5(X)cash. Continued on page 70 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 13 



o u 




Compiled by Louis F. Sander 



TTere's our latest collection of stunning game tips. Many of 
jn them work on the 64, 128 andJor Amiga, in addition to 
those ' 'unknown' ' brands such as Appk, Atari and IBM. 

Though we run a first-rate mine, you must always be akrt for 
fool's gold. Since contributors send iL<i so many great-looking 
nuggets, and since there are only 24 hours in our day, we have no 
umy of testing every tip u>e print. Also, manyoftlie tips require 
skill as well as knowledge, or work as described only on one vari- 
ety ofmach'me. In other words, don't be too upset if a given nugget 
doesn't work for you. 

If you have useful game tips of your own, write them up and 
send tfiem in. Our address is: 

The Gold Mine 

P.O. Box 101011 

Pittsburgh, PA 15237 
Please use a separate sheet of paper for each game, and combine 
all tips for one game onto a single sheet. Put your name and ad- 
dress on every sheet you prepare. Combine all slieets into one en- 
velape and send it in. 

Neatness counts, and we prefer tips to be typed or printed, dou- 
ble spaced, on 8 '// X 11" paper. Handwritten tips are acceptable, 
but /ess liiely to be chosen for publication. Whatever )vu do, do 
not put ^mtr tips on little cut-up strips of paper or on sheets torn 
out of spiral rwtebooks. 

If you can't get enough of the ' 'Gold Mine,' ' you'll be pleased to 
know that we're planning a ' 'Gold Mine' ' book. As you read these 
words, we're negotiating a contract for a reprint ofeveryihing 
that's appeared in the column to date, plus hundreds of new and 
better items. We'll lieep you posted on developments. 

As always, when yvu savor this month's offerings, or when you 
anticipate ourfidure works, remember that world-famous 
motto— Gold Mine Rules! 

Aliens: You can skip a level and confront the queen by pressing 
the up arrow and EESTORE after each of the different screens. 
But to defeat her, you must successfblly complete each screen 
level or enter the status code for successful completion. 

For those who want to confront the queen tmd destroy her 
right away, enter one of these status codes when the program 
prompts you for it: 5893D, 95 + 3F, 6483E, 6373H. 
Christopher M. Rivera 
Ft. Wainwright, AK 



Axis Assassin: Go to the center lane, halfway down, and clear it. 
Pour shots down the lane, desttx)ying anything coming or going. 
When the lane is totally clean, do an about-face and destroy the 
accumulation of enemies on the edge. Quickly do another 180 
and clear the oncoming bare. This should get you through tlie 
first couple of waves. 
Matt McLaine 
Walterboro, SC 

Aztec Challenge: On the stairs, tiy to stay in the middle. This 
will prevent you from getting trapped on one side. 
Jason Bardanxa 
Sanfotd, ME 

Barbarian; The best way to go on to the next board is to chop off 
your opponent's head, Tb do this you must press the button and 
push the joystick to the left. 
Lenny Vaysberg 
Brooklyn, NY 

Beach Head: On the third screen, ailer destroying all the ships, 
continue shooting until the drive is accessed. You'll get 2000 
points a shot 

j Hong Yu Tung 

\ New York, NY 

; Bounder: Here are a few good items the instructions don't tell 
you about: The basketball bouncing on a backboard is worth 20 
jumps. The bee and microchip that float down the screen's center 
are worth a lot, too. 
Justin Stephenson 
Evansville, IN 

Bulldog: If you want to win eveiy time, get one F, one B, one I, 
and a forward S. Here are the meanings of the letters: 

B — Blaster fire (continuous) 

D — Destroy your abilities 

F — Fighter shape changels) 

I — Immunity from shots 

S — Speed (Forward = increase, Backward = decrease) 
Matt McLaine 
Walterboro, SC 



14 MARCH 1989 



Gold Mine 

Bum in' Rubber When you play this game, you have to scratch 
as many cars as you can. Then you get 500 points for each car 
you scratched. One day I decided not to scratch any cars at all, 
and I got 50,000 extra points! Since you get an extra life when 
you reach 100,000 points, my discovery lets you get bonus lives 
very easily. 

It's difficult not to touch any cars, but if you practice it be- 
comes easier, 
Amaud Wksmann 
Jongny, Swiiserland 

Comics: In the underwater river, you can get fresh air and avoid 
the turtles by staying near the top of the cavern. 
Contributor Unknown 

Dark Castle: If you're frustrated at the hero's slow foot speed, 
why not jump instead? Hold the joystick either left or right, then 
prras the fire button to do a long jump. It saves time and gets 
you away from the nasties much quicker. 
Jay Spagnolo 
West Warwick, Rl 

Demon Stalkers: Some items are just not worth going after, but 
never pass up an artifact. They're rare, but usually scrolls will 
hint at the location. 

Don't pick up too many keys, because you won't be able to 
pass a passage blocked by a key. If monsters appear from no- 
where, don't panic— it's only a hidden Vortex. 

Watch out for Levels 65 and 66, since it's very easy to get lost 
in the Matrix. 
Steven Gabaris 
Flushing. NY 

Fairlight: If your Life Forre runs low when questing for the 
Book of Light and you need to get past an Ore guard, drop a 
goldbag in the room. The Ore will go after the bag and leave you 
alone. 

Youll need the Crown to get the Book, and be careful not to 
drop the Crown in a room with Whirlwinds — they'll take it and 
almost anything else that isn't guarded, 
Brian Proefrock 
Port Crane, NY 

Friday the 13th: A sure way to get Jason is to stab or shoot ev- 
ery person you see. When you finally hit the disguised Jason, he 
vrill tum into a person dressed in black, and hell very likely at- 
tack you. 
Christian Enescu 
Address Unknown 

Gridrunner II: On Attack of the Mutant Camels, you can jump 
to the next level by pressing the CTRL key, the COMMODORE 
key and the fine button at the same tune. You also get the mys- 
tery bonus. 
Mark Horchler 
Ellsworth, ME 

Guild of Thieves: For a quick way to enter the castle, go to the 
scrub and type in "help old man." After he has entered the cas- 
tle, type in "go to castle." You will be in the castle. 
Tbm Bray 
Addres.1 Unknown 



Gunship: If your engines get hit, autorotate until you are about 
300 feet ofi'tiie ground, then use your collective pitch to land a 
htde less raughly. If you have a fast load cartridge of some sort, 
don't leave it in when you load the game. 
Patrick Williams 
Buck^,AZ 

Hardball!: There is an easy way to throw runners out even 
though the ball is hit to the outfield. If the ball is hit to the left 
field, throw the bal! to third base. If the ball is hit to right field, 
throw the ball to first base. Never throw the ball to second base, 
as it always takes longer for the ball to get there. 

If you are in a two-player game, this routine could help you 
catch a baserunner trying to get an extra base! 
Eric Chan 
Dallas, TX 

Howard The Duck: When things get tense and you need a 
break, just pause the game. (Commodore 64: F7, Apple: space- 
bar). 

When fending off mutants in the Advanced and Expert 
modes, timing is crucial. Knock off individual mutants as soon 
as you can, since it's the only way you'll ever get closer to their 
mounds. When up against the currents with either Jet Pack or 
Ultralight, try to move only up or down. If you try to move left or 
right, you'll become more easily entangled in the currents. 

If you are swarmed over by mutants, remember that you can't 
destroy one unless they are all spinning. 

Finally, when you're flying the Ultralight, move only up and 
to the right continuously to find the best path to the volcano. 
DanHartensveld 
Wayne, NJ 

Jumpman: If you have used the Jumpman immortality pro- 
gram and you want to get out of a level that's too hard for you, 
just press RETURN and you'll be back at the main menu. 
Nelson Yung 
Winnipeg, Manitoba , Canada 

tiane: On screen one, try to kill as many birds as possible with 
one arrow; you will get more peace tokens (which are lives) and 
arrows. 

For screens two and four, use Fl to start over if you crash on 
your horse. 

On screen four (horse ride two), go at the same speed as the 
train imtii you clear the first two obstacles. Then go iiill speed 
ahead! 
James Reese 
Address Unknown 

Legacy of the Ancients: It is best to close down the gambUng 
house and then rob the town. Of course, you must first be strong 
enough to loot it. Level 2 or higher is good enough, but if you are 
not there you should have at least 50 Fircbolts and Magic 
Flames. 

F you're not ready, but want to rob the town anyway, go up to 
a Merchant and kill him, but do not move. Then select the Rob 
option. Next, without moving, e;dt the town by choosing the 
Leave option. You won't be caught and will be able to return 
without being chased out. 
Alkn Morano 
BarstOW, CA Cnnliimed on page 111 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 15 



Presenting the Red Storm Rising™ Ultimate Challenge 

inna1MpforTE7®to 



Wow Red Storm Rising ~ the gripping World War ill 
submarine simulation by MIcroProse Software for the 
Commodore 64 — is more exciting than ever. Your skill as 
Captain of a nuclear attack sub in the North Atlantic can win 
you and a companion an unforgettable visit to Great Britain! 

Micro Prose Software and Commodore Magazine have 
convened a Board of Naval Examiners to find the Admiral of the 
Fleet — tfie very best fled Storm Rising nuclear submarine 
commander in the world. 



Grand Prize 



In September, 1989, the Red Storm Rising Admiral of the Fteef 
and a companion vifill travel on a 7-day expense-paid travel 
award to Great Britain. They will visit Dunoon, Scotland, home of 
the US submarine base at Holy Loch from which Red Storm 
Rising players operate. Then it's on to London, where they will 
marvel at the huge, international 1989 Personal Computer Show. 
The Admiral of the Fleet will also win a complete library of 
current MicroProse Software titles for tiie Commodore 64, a one- 
year subscription to Commodore Magazine, and Red Storm 
Rising materials autographed by Tom Clancy, author of the best- 
selling novel. Red Storm Rising. 




Contact Screan 



Prizes for Runners-Up Tool 



The First and Second Runner-up Vice Admirals wiil receive a 
Commodore 128-D Computer System, a complete library of 
current MicroProse Software titles for the Commodore 64, a one- 
year subscription to Commodore Magazine, and Red Storm 
fl/Sf'ng materials autographed by Tom Clancy. 

Another seven Vice Admirals will receive a complete library of 
current MicroProse Software titles for the Commodore 64, a one- 
year subscription to Commodore Magazine, and Red Storm 
Rising materials autographed by Tom Clancy. 



Strategy 







First, send for your Official Log Form and complete Rules (see 
"To Enter" on next page). Then, start playing the full Red Storm 
Rising campaign game and learn to achieve maximum Efficiency 
Rating (ER). (For your initial entry and first round of competition, 
your best campaign will be the campaign with your highest ER.) 
Learn how to protect the ER of your campaign in progress by 
choosing the "Computer Log" option at the "Contact Screen" 
preceding each battle, and then saving your game. (The 
"Contact Screen" is shown at right.) II your performance does not 
meet your standards in the ensuing contact, you can re-play it 
(before going on to another battle) without losing your previous 
score. On the Oftlcial Log Form you will fill in the details of each 

of your most successful battles in your best campaign. Before -^ .- 

you fill out the form, you might make photocopies so that you can vjOmtllOClOllG 
keep trying for higher and higher ERs. m a g a z i tJ E 



Coiiiiinter 
Stamlallon. 

Based On 

Ilic#i 






PROsff 



-'■uia 



sponsored by Commodore Magazine and MicroProse 

Seodand&lii^laiMl! 




Ovnoon, Scotland with a 14th US Navy SubnlanniS 
Squadrcjn ^ip and tloaCng dock jn the Hoiy Lodi:. 




1. Obtain an Official Log Form and the complete Rules by 
sending a letter or postcard as soon as possible to the Red 
Storm Rising Board of Naval Examiners, 180 Lakefront Drive, 
Hunt Valley MD 21030. (Several pre-addressed postcards tiave 
been Inserted into this edition of Commodore Magazine.) 

2. Submit your final game save disk (one disk only) and a 
completed Official Log Form from your highest-ER fled Storm 
Rising Campaign to: Red Storm Rising Board of Naval 
Examiners, 180 Lakefront Drive, Hunt Valley MD 21030. Your 
entry must be received not later than March 31 , 1989. 



Naval Operations: Orders 



The Board of Naval Examiners v^ill make every effort to ensure 
that the fled Storm Rising Ultimate Ctiallenge is a fair 
competition and a meaningful test to al! who enter. As you 
proceed into the higher levels of competition, the Board of Naval 
Examiners will advise you of specific examination procedures. 



The Timetable 



March 31, 1989 Deadline for Board of Naval Examiners 
to receive Official Log Form and final 
game save disk from Entrants seeking 
promotion to Admiral, 

During this w/eek, the Board of Naval 
Examiners v/ill select 15 Rear Admirals 
from among All Entries received. 

During this week. Appointments will be 
set for 15 Rear Admirals to be 
interviewed via telephone, by the Board 
of Naval Examiners. 

During this week, the Board of Naval 
Examiners will interview the 15 Rear 
Admirals, and grant promotions to 10. 
Ten (10) Vice Admirals will compete In 
the Red Alert War Game for the right to 
be called Admiral of the Fleet. 

Verification Process Begins; Vice 
Admirals return records from the Red 
Alert War Game. 

Late Sept., 1989 Admiral of the Fleet and a companion 
depart on their 7-day travel award to 
Scotland and England. 

Keep your calendar open for alt steps in the Timetable. 



April 3, 1989 



AprlMO, 1989 



April17, 1989 



April 30, 1989 
(Red Sunday) 

May 1,1989 



Corrmodore 64 is n regisle'ed Er^dornarK 
o) ComrriodorB Elec[ror^ics Lirnited. 



H&d S'.orm Rising by Tom Clancy D 1966 by 
Jack Ryan Enlerprises LW. and Ljrry Bond 



Watch the News Section of Commodore Magazine for 
ll/lore Information on the Red Storm Rising Ultimate 
Challenge. I 



64 AKD 128 SOFTWARE REVIEWS" 

Red Storm 
Rising 

Computer: Commodore 64 

PublisKer: MicroProse 

180 Lakefront Drive 
Hunt VaUey.MD 21030 

Medium: Disk 

Price: $44.95 



In the quiet cold of the Norwegian sea, a 
Soviet task force passes before an un- 
noticed, quiescent observer. It is an im- 
proved Los Angeles class nuclear subma- 
rine armed to the teeth with the latest in 
conventional submarine armament. At 
the proper moment, you — the skipper — 
unleash a sOent lethal visitor, an Mk48 
'Swimout" torpedo. Quietly, you order 
your sub to dive beneath the ocean's sur- 
face duct to fiirther evade detection as you 
wait for your weapon to seal the fate of a 
Soviet Kashin class anti-submarine ship. 

Red Storm Rising is MicroProse's real- 
time submarine warfare simulator based 
on Tbm Clancy's best-selling novel by the 
same name. Tlie complexity of modem 
submarine warfare as portrayed in the 
book is impressively reproduced with real- 
time tactical displays, animations and 
stills. 

The game is split into 11 different sce- 
narios which allow the player to get his 
"sea legs" and practice different strategies 
and tactics before taking on the "ulti- 
mate" World War m/Red Storm Rising 
scenario. You can choose one of four time 
frames between 1986 to 1996 wherein 
technology and hardware have changed 
for both the Americans and the Soviets. 
You then select one of five submarine 
classes, each of which has different capa- 
bilities and weaponry, or you can have one 
assigned to you by the Naval Military 
Personnel Command. You have the option 
to chofse the level of challenge for the sce- 
nario you will select. "Introductory" for be- 
ginners gives you a damage-resistant sub 
with an experienced crew. The enemy is 
easier to find and track. "Normal" for ca- 
sual gaming, features a more destructible 
sub and a tougher enemy. "Serious" gives 
you a more inteUigent, skillfiil enemy and 
a more difficult game. "Ultimate" gives 
you more "realistic" survivability, a clever 
enemy and the necessity of identifying a 
vessel's "acoustic signature" yourself. 



Reviewed by Mike Rivers 



r 



The complexity of 

modern 

submarine warfare 

as portrayed in i 

the book is [ 

impressively [ 

reproduced 

with real-time t 

tactical displays, 

animations 

and stills. 



For srenarios, there are two training ac- 
tions against a sub or a surface ship, nine 
battle simulations which feature different 
combinations of ships and subs, and, of 
course, World War IH in the Atlantic: Red 
Storm Rising. 

Animations fill you in on the action 
leading up to conflict from the novel. Then 
your mission orders are given, and you 
choose the type and amounts of arma- 
ment you'll use. For the Red Storm Rising 
scenario, you are shown the "Strate^c 
TVansit" map. How you use this map will 
detennine your speed, depth and orienta- 
tion to the enemy when the scenario 
starts. After engaging the enemy (it's best 
to quietly lay in wait for them if you can), 
the screen svritches to a tactical display. 
From here you control all your sub's detec- 
tion, evasion and weapons systems. Weap- 
ons systems can include three types of 
Mk48 pragranmiable, wire-guided torpe- 
does, harpoon undenvater guided mis- 
siles, Tbmahawk anti-ship and land at- 
tack missiles. Sea Lance/Mk50 missiles 
and FIM-92A Stingets. Some weapons 
and sub classes are unavailable during 
(^rtain time frames. Sensors include ac- 
tive and passive sonar, towed array, active 
and ESM radar. Missiles and torpedoes 
must be loaded before being fired, and this 
takes some time. This feature really adds 
to the fim when you find you've forgotten 
to load your tubes, and you discover you'd 




I I T 



':•'::<:•. :•:.•:.■"•-: -.V-:-'^:---: V v t.: 
^ •v•c/^-.■;^•:./^ 




really like to fire something right now. 

Displays can be zoomed in and out, 
maps overlayed, decays and "noise- 
makets" deployed, and a host of other 
functions activated, all of which under- 
score the abundant detail included in Red 
Storm Rising. 

Divided into three sections, the manual 
is superbly written. Reading it is as much 
fun as playing the game. Part One, the 
Operations Manual, describes the various 
starting options and rontrols. There are 
succinct, easy-to-understand descriptions 
of weapons, detection and evasion systems 
interspersed with useful technical infor- 
mation regarding their capabilities. This 
infonnation is also summarized, high- 
lighted and conveniently located through- 
out the text. 

Part Two, the Captain's Manual, has a 
briefing on the Norwegian Sea theater. 
This is a particularly interesting descrip- 
tion of the geographic and oceanographic 
con(^ms of a nuclear sub conunander in 
northern Europe. The "Strategic Maneu- 
vers" section describes classic techniques 
for finding and engaging the enemy and a 
discussion of the composition of Russian 
task forces. "Use of Sonar and Sensors" is 
replete with short technical descriptions of 
sonar response strategy in a variety of sea 
conditions. "Weapons and Attacks" con- 
tains practical suggestions on tactical use 
Continued on page 73 



18 MARCH 1989 




2.0 




YOU NEVER KNEW YODR AMIGA 
COULD BE THIS GOOD! 



WITH THE MOST OUreTANDING PAINT 
FEATURES, SOPHISTICATED OPERATIONS 
AND SPECIAL EFFECTS ONLY BEFORE 
AVAILABI^ ON DEDICATED GRAPHIC 
WORKSrATIONS. PHOTON PAINT 2.0'S 
POWER IS LIMITCD ONLY BY YOUR 
IMAGINATION! 

Just look at some of Phoron Paint 2.0's fea- 
tures; •Contour Mapping "Light Source 
SpccUication and Shadowing • More Sophis- 
ticated Brush Operations • Stretch Option 
•4,096 Color Palette • Page Flipper 

• Magnification • Rub-through • Panto- 
graph • Blending • Full Manipulation of 
Color Values • Colorization 'Air Brush 

• Stencil •Fill Pol>'gon •RGBandHSV 
•And Photon Paint is fully compatible with 
the Photon Video Scries and most third 




2.0 Ul'GRADt for information call: 



party art and animation systems! 
This is what the critics said about Photon 
Paint 1.0 (wait until they try 2.0!): 
"Photon Paint is an essential part of the ideal 
Amiga graphics studio." Roger Goode, 
Amiga World 

"...the cutting edge of paint program tech- 
nology and a step into the ftiture for Amiga 
graphics." Louis Markoya, Amiga Transactor 
"...this program is dynamite and is a must 
have for every graphics affecianado." Mark 
Smith, The Amiga Sentry 
"Photon Paint is without a doubt the most 
complete painting program a\'ailable for the 
Amiga..." Lewis Tillc7, Your Amiga 
Ptioton Paint is a trade nurit of MiLmllluslons 
Amiga and Commodore arc tradeirurits of Commodore 
[ntcmationaJ. Inc. 



17408 CKatSTOrtli St., Granada Hills, CA 91344 

Inside CAS 18/360-37 15 • Outside CA 800/522-2041 

I'M 8I8/.1 60-1464 



64 AND 128 SOFTWARE REVIEWS' 



Reviewed by Scott A. May 



Fast Break 

Computer: Commodore 64 
Publisher: Accolade, Inc. 

550 S. Winchester Blvd. 

Suite 200 

San Jose, CA 95128 
Mediuni: Disk 
Price: $29.95 



More than any other software genre, 
sports games are genuinely com- 
petitive among themselves. One game al- 
ways sets tlie pace for others to follow and, 
hopefully, surpass. 

With Fojit Break, Accolade takes a solid 
shot at the current champ — Gamestar's 
Tluo-on-Two—aiid nearly grabs the title. 
Designed by veteran Steve Cartwright 
(Hacker, Aliens), Fast Break represents a 
slightly flawed but tremendously enjoy- 
able effort. 

The game loads in a flash and inmriedi- 
ately displays three play options: quarter 
length (three, six, nine or twelve minutes), 
team selection (one or two players), and 
game mode (competition, practice or Play- 
maker). 

Pick fast to avoid prolonged exposure to 
the game's obnoxious "sound track"— a 
dull, skull-pounding simulation of feet 
stomping on bleachers. Authentic per- 
haps, but about as enjoyable as the 
screech of fingernails on a blackboard. 

The two "house" teams— the Slammere 
and Jammers — feature a roster of six 
pi ay ere, each with unique strengths and 
weaknesses. Some are mastere of the out- 
side shot, while others perform best under 
the net. Some are crack ball handlers and 
others, well, cross your fingers. Although 
two players are trained for each position — 
center, guard and forward — coaches can 
only activate one at a time to fill their 
three-man lineups. Ideally, both teams are 
evenly matched. Only time will tell which 
team feels right for you, and what combi- 
nation of playere works best. 

The program keeps a watchfiil eye on 
each player's performance throughout the 
game. Statistics are kept on field goals, 
personal fouls, steals and tumovere. Play- 
er substitutions are made during time- 
outs (six per game) and at the end of each 
quarter. 

One of the top advantages of having 
three players per team is the ability to ex- 
ecute pro-style play patterns. In this area, 
Fast Break outshines the competition, 



One of the top 

advantages of 

having three 

players per 

team is the 

ability to 

execute 

pro-style play 

patterns. 




THURMOND -C 
COVERING OH , 
THE PLAY 



Each team contrals identical playbooks 
stocked with 14 offensive and five defen- 
sive routines. As coach, you can select up 
to four offensive plays at a time, subject to 
change during each time-out. 

In addition. Accolade's new Playmaker 
option allows each team to design a 
unique play before' the game begins. Play- 
maker is easy to use and adds yet another 
dimension to the game. Unfortunately, 
only one design can be used per game. 

The game boasts a raised three-quarter 
profile view of the basketball court. Al- 
though relatively simple in design, sever- 
al audio- visual embellishments stand out. 
Mixed ever so sUghtly among the usual 
sound effects— bouncing balls and crowd 
cheers— listen for the squeak of Nikes" 
on polished wood. A nice touch. 

Although only one half of the court ap- 
peare on screen at a time, the gsmie fea- 
tures amazing interaction between the 
two. Players can pass the ball across cen- 
ter court— off the screen, basically— to 
teammates waiting on the other side. 

Paradoxically, ball control is both the 
game's best asset and its greatest flaw. Re- 
sponsive joystick controls offer tight ball 
control and quick passing. TVansitions — 
changing control from one player to an- 
other — are also smooth as silk. Skillful 
teamwork results in flawless ball manipu- 
lation. 

Unfortunately, you are the entire team. 
Except for one-player games, there are no 



computer-controlled playere in Fast 
Break. And except for simple pattern ex- 
ecution, the game shows no signs of intel- 
ligence whatsoever. Your teammates nev- 
er take the initiative to steal, shoot, pass, 
block or rebound the ball. 

This curious lack of intelligence repre- 
sents a major overeight. During one-play- 
er games, for example, the computer rare- 
ly attempts a rebound. Human playere 
shooting from far outside can typically re- 
bound their own shots. Other shortcom- 
ings threaten to spoil the fim: although 
there are fouls, there are no free throws. 
The manual— itself almost sickeningly 
cute— says "free throws are for wimps." 
IfeU that to Larry Bird. 

Having sk playere bounce around the 
court at once can also create a visual 
nightmare. The "active" player on each 
team is indicated by a flashing white uni- 
form. In the heat of battle it's often impos- 
sible to determine who's who until you 
lose possession of the ball. 

Such flaws would surely bury a lesser 
game. Incredibly, Fast Break transcends 
these barriere and emerges as one of die 
best in its league. Despite the computer's 
seeming lack of aggression, solitaire 
^axass are quite challenging. Increasing 
the game's time limit introduces a fatigue 
factor, an effective substitute for variable 
computer skill levels. 

Naturally, two-player contests among 

Continued cm page 37 



20 MARCH 1989 








P'f\' 






.v 



t's landing in 
Los Angeles. 



fc- next stop • • • 

L.A. 



•■-■■"W^?H?^^^^ 



y:^if' 



With amazing computers. 
Stunning software- 
Powcrftil peripherals. 

The World of Commodore is coming 
to capture your Imagination. 

It's the comjiuicr show for i>eginners and iTiickens, professionals and 

students, business people and home users. 

ComnKKiore [5u,Kinc,ss M:ichine.s -.md niatiy other exliibilors will tilspiav and sell the AMIG/V,064, 

C-128i-p3.conipuiers, a SiUa^fy of software for Cpirimodorc and AMIGA co!nputei-s;md ;i glittering con Stella tidily 

of printers, disk drives imd desktop publisliing equipnieni. You will find peripherals and accessories 

for ail your present and future equipment. It's computer heaven. 

Sia^^e demonstrations .ind prejvocativc seminars, pm'sented by top experts, are included with your admission. 
Three days of bargains, seieciton. information, excttetnent and prizes. 

See it- all wit! 1 your own eyes.^TryJt all with yout:<>wn hands. At the ^^ orldxjf Conimodorelin Ids Angeies. ■ 

May 19, 20 & 21, 1989 L.A. Convention Center 

Adults $10 Students & Seniors $8 ,Soiiitn:ir.s ;inti si;i«c dem mi si rat ions are itiLlutk-d with iidmtssion. 
Exhibitors eonlaci; The Hunter Group {416) 595-5306 Fax: (415) 595-5093 Protiucect in associalion with Commodore fluslnoss Machines 



SEVEN WAYS TO MAKE YOUR 
COMMODORE "^^ 

1 ) EXPLOSIVE COMMANDO RAIDS. 



TAKt N(l PHISONERS 



femvjsti ^.afl lato) ttor *«( tatf jga Sin»- 

onshsts to tsxti ttnf terrixtiij wttaJ terrw 

is al about WwwiVLWCJojswf/ie^ 
hcsfstfei islo^t in, xtrikg fianj ^~y Afl^nr 
ami get wt fast. Jeftmits to wvrxd... ^ 



4 »>. / 








Now you C3r fa*e tfjc woffd'i tniruber one arcstfa game ttofngf Ait thg xvan-pxked arc^t thrifts of 

this swesome fwnnyn tns-cutf <jff rcii^y tor home video pfsy- 

2 ) SUPER- HUMAN WARRIOR LORDS. 




Now you can itvtH to one Gt tfie biggat-&jvf cotr>-op h.ts on you ^ i \on :, 
graphics tsies yOu 10 a m^tcsf land of ffdventure snd eKciW-frren r 



-. Bastan's ir^ind-bkming 



Tditor ArkanotdJ" RenegiKfeJ'^ Akon,^^ Bubbh BobbhJ^ Sky Sh&thl** Rastan^^ 
find Ofi^ratiiin Watf^^m iradt'marks of Taito America fnc Copyright 




■ t93E. Aft rights wserveit. Comr7}Qdor^isatrad&r^rkofConmv}dofV Ehctrorvcs, 
Ud Advamsarnent by: Qtiat/^ & Conyj^uy, trin {Chicago), 



COMING SOOK THC Ci.A^SH: MMi OAMt OfX 



3) BUBBLE BLOWING DINOSAURS. 



6) OUTER SPACE GRID MONSTERS. 




Th9 ffl gome in Europe for 3 munf/ta. Scr.nvbft.' through 700 scf&jns ss youf 
bnintosBurus buddies. Bub and Boh (fr'vv >v);^ crnry with nan-sfap iictfOrj. 

4) DEATH-DEFYING ACES. 




Take the arcsdtt's mesnest eir battle home for keeps. Strop m for exphsive 
high-fiying actior^. Haiti on for your isfe os you soar through incrvdibia graphics 

5) INTER-PLANETARY WARFARE. 



IM» 'vrtft mpMiB Q* F#f ««*tf Of &tsjnuti.im_ O'tt nil ^n.t rmi rmrri^ r»»*v9 rMi m^iw 








Dem*t setth fo! in::s.M'i--r. The game voted 'bns of tha bsst homer v/doogamei 
9V0f^by Sf^trur.u (r.nnr Piiiyer Magartn^iS W&dy tO biast into your homa 

7j RAGING STREET RUMBLES. 




Atotv you c^fi ti/iiit into u/w oftfio hottest itrc^itti s/Mtu (junnn fiijlit in your own 
ftoma /t's the ufU'mste inter-pl&netdfy cornbgt- You'vo n^vcir stten act/on iikfi this. 



Itii:. i:. sfir ,^.-:i,':;:.i/ .in.ade hit Thtilt 10 the Bfcstie quality graphics of this fast- 
pacwi street styi€ tcjirttttt brn\vt FintS out v^hat reaf action is sti abfiuti 

Taito games will make your Commodore 
scream with the sights and sounds of arcade 
actior], adventure, survival, destruction, heroes, 
villains and heart-pounding thrills. 

These are the world famous arcade originals 
and they're ready to wail on your Commodore. 
Arkanoid;" Alcon'," Bubble Bobble'," Operation 
Wolf J" Rastan;" Renegade'" and Sky Shark'" 
will make your Commodore do things you didn't 
think were possible. 

Everyone knows that arcade games are the 
benchmark for all other video games and Taito 
has been an arcade leader since 1953. Since then 
we've made over 1,000 classics for arcade and 
homeplay. Counton Taito to bring the heat of the 
arcade to your home computer. 

Buy Taito products at leading stores every- 
where. Visa/MasterCard holders can order direct 
anywhere in the U.S. by catting t -800-663-8067. 



64 AND 128 SOFmARE REVIEWS" 



Reviewed by Gary V. Fields 



Computer: 


Commodore 64 


Developer: 


Leisure Genius 


Publisher: 


Electronic Ai-ts 




1820 Gateway Drive 




San Mateo, CA 94404 


Medium; 


Disk 


Price: 


$29.95 

„ HjT I v,„i :_ i.u_ 



X midst of the Great Depression, and 
after more than 50 years it continues to be 
one of world's favorite board games. The 
original game was created in 1935 and in 
the past 54 years has been played and en- 
joyed by nearly every person on the North 
American continent. Through that half 
century, people have been attracted to it 
because it allows us all to try our hand — 
through luck, cunning and ruthlessness— 
to acquire a fortune in money and proper- 
ty. The game generates a miniature world 
where you can buy, sell and rent your way 
to a fortune. Your holdings enlarge or de- 
flate at the whim of fate as dealt by the 
roll of the dice or draw of a card. 

Is the game's translation to a computer 
an improvement or simply an effort to 
open a new market with an old product? 
The board and computer versions look al- 
most identical. The familiar eight tokens 
(dog, thimble, hat, race car, shoe, iron, 
horse and wheelbarrow) are here in the 64 
version. The playing field, shown in 3D, is 
perfectly produced here and includes 
those familiar squares, colored property 
bars and sjraibols we grew up with — even 
the mustached face of the rich fellow in a 
top hat is displayed. 

T\vo to eight players can play the game, 
and if you vrish one of the players can be 
the computer itself. But beware, the com- 
puter shows even less mercy for you when 
you are down and out than your older sis- 
ter did. 

The game commands are issued via a 
menu bar which lists: Quit, Save, Mort- 
gage, Owners, Houses, Trade, Rent, Dice, 
Fastmove and Cash. These commands 
can be issued by either typing the first let- 
ter of the name or highlighting a com- 
mand with either a joystick or the cursor 
keys. The mortgage command lets you 
buy or sell property. If you can't pay for 
bills, this option will automatically be ac- 
tivated so you can mortgage selected proj>- 
erty to pay your debts. CKvuere shows 




sister did 




which property is owned by which player. 
Houses is activated when you want to buy 
or sell houses or hotels. The Trade option 
lets you swap property with another play- 
er in order to achieve a monopoly, so you 
can improve the property and raise the 
rent. The Cash option is a toggle com- 
mand which causes each player's total 
wealth to be either hidden or displayed. 
The Fastmove option is another toggle 
conunand which lets you move around the 
board a little quicker at the expense of 
less animation. The Dice option {the de- 
fault option) causes the game to roll the 
dice {shown on screen using 3D images), 
and the active piece moved accordingly. 

Below the menu is the three-dimension- 
al playing field — it looks exactly like the 
one which comes with the board game. 
When a player's token is moved, its image 
scoots around the board just as if it had 
been moved by hand. Tb the left of the 
board is the name of the player whose 
turn is up along with the symbol which 
represents his token, lb the right of the 
board appears a clock, providing the play- 
ers have decided to restrict play to a fixed 
amount of time. Although you can play 
until all but one player goes bankrupt, I 
was happy to see the option to restrict 
play to only a certain amount of time. 
Having suffered the ill effects of losing 
sleep playing a marathon game of Monop- 
oly, 1 refiise to play anything but a timed 
game now. 

Below the playing board are four boxes 



i 



which serve as a window showing the cur- 
rent position of the player whose turn is 
up along with the next three spaces in 
fitintofhimorher. These boxes scroll to 
the right as the playing piece is moved on 
the main board, lb the left of these is a 
property card showing the information 
about the square the player finishes his 
turn on: who owns the property, how much 
rent costs, the price of house and hotels, 
etc. 

Along with the colorftil realistic graph- 
ics are some pleasant sound effects which 
add to the game's fun including train 
toots, sirens for jail sentences and enthusi- 
astic music to signal payday when you 
land on GO. 

The 64 version of Monopoly plays exact- 
ly like the board-based game. But where 
the computer game excels is in the way it 
handle banking and property transac- 
tions. Rather than having to shuffle and 
handle paper money and property cards, 
the computer, serving as both banker and 
referee takes care of all the tedious jobs. 
Plus the computer never cheats, mis' 
counts money or makes up new rules. I 
loved the ability of the computer to difilise 
rule-generated arguments. There is no 
need to argue here — the computer knows 
the rules and enforces them equally for all 
players. 

lb hold true to the original game, pay- 
ment on rental is not automatically col- 
lected. If someone lands on your property, 

Cnnliiiued 0!ip(if;e 103 



24 MARCH 1989 




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64 AND 128 SOFTWARE REVIEWS- 



Reviewed by John Ryan 



lyphoon of 

Steel 



Computer: Commixloi-e 64 

Publisher: Strategic Simulations, Inc. 
1046 N. RengstorfT Avenue 
Moiinuiin View, CA 94043 

Medium: Di.sk 

Price: $49.% 



War gamers have never had it so 
good; there are literally hundreds of 
very good electronic battlefields out there 
for the taking. Strategic Simulations, one 
of the world's foremost publishers of com- 
puter-based war games, salutes you, the 
war gamer, lb that end, they have re- 
leased Typhoon of Steel, a World War II 
squad-level war game. 

Typhoon of Steel is billed as an ad- 
vanced level war game. If you're just a ca- 
sual user the program could be a bit too 
difficult to handle, much less master. The 
documentation and statistics involved 
with war gaming can be overwhelming if 
you are new at it. If you are new to this 
particular genre, then maybe you should 
firet try one of SSI's beginning or interme- 
diate war games before moving up to the 
more advanced scenarios. 

Conversely, seasoned veterans should 
delight in the plethora of options and de- 
tail this program has to offer Unlike some 
other games, Typhoon of Steel presents all 
the features you'd ever want in a war 
game, but doesn't try to cram it down your 
throat. You select the scope of operations. 

Typhoon of Steel— a sequel to the veiy 
popular Panzer S<nte.'— gives you the op- 
tions of commanding engagements in the 
Pacific, Asian or European theaters. You 
also have the option of building your own 
scenarios should you tire of the game's 
(unlikely, for a time). This "construction 
set" type of setup is very flexible and easy 
to use. 

The program comes with two double- 
sided diskettes, as well as two manuals to 
help you wade through the specifics of 
game play. While, historically speaking, 
war game documentation can be as inter- 
esting as an encyclopedia index, Typhoon 
of Steel's program manual hits quickly on 
the mechanics of game play and avoids 
bogging you do\vn with myriad facts and 
statistics at the outset. So if you're itching 
to get into battle, chapters one and two 




will give you everything needed to jump 
into the game without a lot of fuss. 

On the other hand, if you're the type of 
war gamer who thrives on raw detail, 
game formulas or precise unit data, you 
will undoubtedly want to read over the re- 
maining chapters. In fight of that, the sec- 
ond manual is comprised solely of unit 
data on American, German, British and 
Japanese equipment, Tliis manual details 
specifics on everything fixim a main battle 
tank to a jeep (size, speed, crew, class, 
range, cost, and so on), and probably con- 
tains every weapon and vehicle ever used 
in World War 11! It is quite extensive. Ad- 
ditionally, the Briefing Manual's 15 pages 
break down and explain examples of 
chain of command, offer briefing notes on 
the program's own scenario, and include 
a detailed terrain effect chart. Obviously, 
you could spend as much time in the docu- 
mentation as with the game itself. 

The opening menu gives you several op- 
tions. Typhoon of Steel can be played by ei- 
ther one or two players, or you can watch 
the computer play against itself Players 
must also choose whether to play Allied or 
Axis powers, select a handicap level, set 
message delay lengths, and decide wheth- 
er or not to invoke a limited command 
rule, which essentially limite the number 
of orders a unit's headquarters may issue 
during a turn, '["he ptDgram has over a 
half dozen historical scenarios from which 
to choose, or you can create your o\™. In 
any case, you must decide to command a 
single battle or start a campaign game 
that will stretch over several scenarios. 

Typhoon ofSted'n play is divided into 



Oi-ders and Combat phases, and learning 
how to properly issue orders is the key to 
success. Much emphasis is placed on com- 
mand and control, and chain of command. 
This war game, like most others, is com- 
pletely menu-driven and ranges over 
scaled maps which repr^ent the histori- 
cal terrain of past battles or terrain you 
have constructed yoiu-self You can view a 
terrain map at the tactical or sti-ategic 
levels. At the tactical level, a 20 x 10 
square portion of the map is displayed, 
which gives you, as commander, a close-up 
look at terrain and enemy positions. The 
strategic map, measured 40 x 20 squares, 
can be ased to gain the "big picture" for 
overall objective planning. Both maps en- 
compass a 60 X 60 ai-ea, where each 
square repre.sent 50 yards, and you can 
easily toggle back and forth during play. 

The Orders phase of the game is where 
most of the grunt work is accomplished 
There are four options within the Orders 
phase; movement, fire, organizational and 
cancellation phases. Most orders are is- 
sued by gaining access to them ftiom the 
map menu. This map menu allows access 
to information relating to the battle area 
as a whole. A Unit menu, however, is used 
to access information or issue orders to a 
particular unit or group of units. General- 
ly speaking, issuing orders asually in- 
volves invoking the map menu, then initi- 
ating options to gain control over selected 
units under the unit menu. In practice, 
the flow of control from strategic level to 
imit level is smooth and logical. 

During the Orders phase, units may be 
moved and objectives — oflensive or defen- 



26 MARCH 1989 



Software Reviews/Typhoon of Steel 

sive — defined for individual units. If you 
are involved in a long or large campaign, 
you may even opt to let the computer han- 
dle your army's movement, though the 
computer's automatic placement may not 
be the best for youi" strategy. Moreover, 
the computer can also be set to issue or- 
ders on your behalf for part or all of your 
battle force. Indeed, Typhoon of Steel em- 
ploys a very flexible system. 

The pre-defined scenarios all have a se- 
lect objective in mind. Meeting this objec- 
tive wins the scenario. These objectives in- 
clude holding, bypassing or engaging the 
enemy. You must always keep these objec- 
tives in mind during the Orders phase. 
Why run your tanks down to the enemy's 
doorstep during a holding objective? Un- 
less you have got some good reasoning be- 
hind such madness, conservative and 
thoughtfiil play will normally keep the 
game going on an even keel. 

Even so, war is always an unpredictable 
animal, and you may notice hiccups in 
your strategy soon after Combat phase be- 
gins. While the game is played in "turns," 
each combat phase is executed in "pulses," 
where artillery and mortar are released, 
units moved, and damage assessed, like 
the real world — or so Fm told — you can't 
just jump in and make quick changes dur- 
ing combat. Issuing new orders takes 
time, and during the heat of battle a lot of 
things can happen before new orders can 
be acted upon. For this reason, during the 
combat phase, a player must wait four full 
pulses before tiying to enter the Orders 
Phase again. Believe me, three pulses can 
seem an eternity, especially with your ri- 
fle squad pinned down and your last mor- 
tar battery taking a beating from ofF-map 
artillery. 

Sadly, war games have never been 
known for their eye-boggling graphics, 
and Typhoon of Steel is no exception, 
though the graphics are effective, clearer 
and sharper than most other war games I 
have played. Most of the unit icons are 
easy to identify on the tactical map; on the 
strategic map, however, some icons and 
terrain features can be rather obscure. 
Since the maps cover much more area 
than the screen can depict at one time, 
there is a lot of scroUing involved, espe- 
cially as off-map enemy units fire on you. 
This is because the program must scroll 
back and forth between the Axis and Al- 
lied positions to highlight the source and 
target positions. While the screen updates 
are not are impressively fast, they are ac- 
ceptable. Some would argue that graphics 
do not the war game make— and I tend to 



agree. On Typhoon of Steel's side, the 
graphics are certainly heller than most, 
and complemented by sound that can apt- 
ly 1x3 described as verj' basic, but also ef- 
fective. 

Once you've had the chance to play the 
game's scenario, you can move on and 
build custom scenarios and maps of your 
own. Doing this involves selecting the op- 
tion fkim the main menu, building your 
map, then answering a series of questions 
about your scenario: selecting unite, 
choosing which side t^) play, selecting a 
handicap level and invoking several other 
options as the computer presents them. 
Once a map has been built, you must be- 
gin the process of selecting a type of battle 



to be fought and editing your forces to be 
placed on the map. Realistically, building 
a scenai-io could take several hours to ac- 
complish, depending on how far you want 
to take it. For quick, random scenarios, 
the computer can be counted on to do 
much of the dirty work. 

Typhiimi of Steel is not a game to ap- 
proach \vith just an hour or two of spare 
time on yoiur hands. It is a serious pro- 
gram, dedicated to the serious wai' gamer 
The player interfiice is logically laid out 
and seems to follow many of the conven- 
tions set down by other SSI wai' games. 
Whether you are a battle-scai'rcd veteran 
or an up-and-coming young foot soldier, 
this pregram is a definite must-have. Q 




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COMMODORE MAGAZINE 27 



64AND 128 SOFTWARE REVIEWS' 



Reviewed by Scott A. May 



Alcon 



Computer: Commodore 64 

Publisher: Tkito Softwai^, Inc. 
267 W. Esplanade 
North Vancouver, B.C., 
Canada 

Medium: Disk 

Price: $29.95 



Here's a familiar phrase that strikes 
fear in the hearts of most dedicated 
software buyei^: "Arcade screens shown. 
Actual computer screens may vary." Gulp, 
You know what that usually means— put 
the box back on the shelf and walk away. 

No so with l^to, the arcade giant who 
recently hit the home front with a line of 
coin-op translations that will knock your 
socks off. Although the above phrase does 
indeed appear on the company's sofh^'are 
packages, proceed with full confidence. If 
their initial releases are any indication, 
expect nothing but outstanding entertain- 
ment from Tkito. 

In the "look and feel" department, Al- 
con is one of the best coin-op conversions 
Fve ever seen. The graphics are sharp, 
and the game play silky smooth. Don't 
even bother putting Uiis one away— you'll 
want to play it every time you boot up. 

Alcon is a one-player shoot-'em-up for 
arcade purists. It comes from the seat-of- 
your-pants school of non-stop \ideo com- 
bat, lb survive you must think fast and 
react even faster. The only strategy that 
counts is the one that keeps you alive an- 
other minute. 

Don't expect a convoluted plot or long 
instruction manual here. In true arcade 
fashion, the story takes a back seat to the 
action. In fact, the software packaging 
gives only a hint of the game's basic sce- 
nario: 

It is the year 2059. Humans are living 
in exile on the planet Theon following an 
alien invasion of their last home, Orac. 
The Allied League of Cosmic Nations (Al- 
con) has detennined that Orac will be lost 
forever if they do not act immediately. 

The Alcon supreme council has decided 
to send you on a mission to reclaim Orac 
and hberate the humans held hostage 
there. At your command is the SW475, an 
experimental starfighter with a wide 
range of powerful weapons and defense 
systems- 

The title screen offers players the option 



The pressure 

put on 'i^^i^^^^ 



players ; 
is incredible, 
taking this ESS 
game rffift 
far beyond 



typical ^^ 
slide-and- 

shoot 
contests. 



to have music, sound effects or both. The 
game features a full-sized vertically- 
scrolling play field depicting the planet 
surface. Players begin the game \vith only 
three spacecraft. Additional lives are 
awarded at 50,000 and every 70,000 
points thereafter The number of remain- 
ing ships is displayed at the top of the 
screen, along with the current score. (On 
my copy of the game, the score was placed 
well off the top of the screen, rendering it 
unintelligible.) 

The scrolling landscape is lush with de- 
tail and color The top-down graphics fea- 
ture dense textures and 3-D shadowing. 
Set against this ever-changing world is 
your starfighter Joystick controls allow 
tight, responsive movement in eight direc- 
tions. Although your ship can zip to any 
portion of the screen, smart pilots should 
stick to the lower middle section. Aliens 
often appear suddenly frcm the top and 
sides, moving quickly with lasers blast- 
ing. Any contact spells instant death. 

The game begins innocently enough, 
with single alien saucers occasionally 
backed up by stationary gun emplace- 
ments. Within minutes the action in- 
creases in frantic proportions. Aliens be- 
gin to attack in groups of five or six from 
different areas of the screen. 

The best tactic is to perform a decisive 
horizontal sweep across the screen, blaz- 
ing away with your rapid-fire cannons. 
Concentrate on the aliens whose path you 




are most likely to cross. Simply avoid the 
aliens moving along the outer fringe. Go- 
ing out of your way to kill them only 
places yoiu- ship in danger 

Aliens fire in single bursts that home 
directly on your last location. For this rea- 
son you must move constantly and quick- 
ly to avoid being hit. The game's greatest 
challenge often stems ftt)m the instanta- 
neous attack of multiple alien craft in sev- 
eral different directions. Only lightning- 
fast reflexes will allow you to escape the 
deadly wall of laser fire. 

The pressure put on players is incredi- 
ble, taking this game far beyond typical 
slide-and-shoot contests. Players must 
avoid incoming salvos, retmn fire, and 
dodge alien craft^^l within split seconds 
of each other The action never lets up. It 
only gets faster This can be a physically 
exhausting game. 

Although the advantage always favors 
the aliens' side, we pitiful humans have 
several tricks up our cosmic sleeve. The 
SW475 Starfighter comes equipped with 
eight special features to aid the cause. 
Some aliens leave yellow stars behind 
when destroyed. Collecting stars high- 
hghts the following options at the bottom 
of the screen: Speed, Shot, Side, Wing, 
Bomb, Laser, Homing Missiles and 
Shields, lb obtain laser capabiHty, for ex- 
ample, you must collect sbc stars. Pressing 
the spacebar engages the highlighted fea- 
ture. Continucilon fiagp 103 



28 MARCH 1989 



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for the Price of 1 



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Cast magic spells, probe mysteri- 
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gha.stly creatures and delve into 
the secrets of enchanted lands. 
You'll disco\eT hundreds of hours 
of fascinating gameplay! 





To gat your copy of the Ulllma TrJIogy. sither 

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3) mall check (U.S. $) or VISA/MC#, cardhoWer name 
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Allow 1-2 vieeks tor delivery. 

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Complete your Uhima Series Collection and discover the "origin " 
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64 AND 128 SOFTWARE REVIEWS- 



Reviewed by Mark Cotone 



Award Maker 
Plus 

Computer: Commodore 64 

Publishen BaucKille 

5380 52nd Street SE 
Gi-smd Rapids, MI 49508 

Medium: Disk 

Price: $39.95 

One of the most satisfying rewards 
one can derive fom a job well done 
is recognition, some sort of expressed con- 
firmation serving to assure that all of the 
hard work has been noticed and appreciat- 
ed. \n some of our more substantial tri- 
umphs, a trophy or document might even 
be presented to mark the occasion — a 
merited prize to be cherished and proudly 
displayed. But most of the time, with life's 
smaller, less ceremonious challenges and 
victories, a [M on the back and a few con- 
gratulatory words are all we've come to 
expect and accept. All deserved fanfare 
can be fleeting if not totally forgotten. 

But hold your head high, a change is on 
the horizon. For with Baudville's release 
oi Award Maker Plus, ever>' achievement 
big and small can now be noted, applaud- 
ed and officially rewarded. Think back 
over the past week at all of the accom- 
plishments of friends and family that 
slipped by virtually unnoticed. How about 
the student who spent the entire sunny 
weekend studying for Monday's big test, 
your friend who helped move the sleeper 
sofa upstairs, or your spouse who pulled 
off the dinner party without a hitch? Sure, 
you've told them all how grateful you are, 
but what about taking it a step further 
and actually showing them? With Auxird 
Maker Plus and a few strokes of your 
Commodore keyboard, you can now pres- 
ent them all with a professional-quality 
award certificates; gold seal documents 
suitable for framing and simply begging 
for placement on some prominent wall 
space. It's a lasting keepsake they'll trea- 
sure and proudly exhibit, and it can all be 
produced in a matter of minutes. 

The creation process starts? in the Award 
Style Catalog, a 32-page booklet listing 
the 286 different certificate types avail- 
able. Every conceivable style is represent- 
ed, from the starchy and official-looking 
linear document to the amusing, graphic- 
laden tongue-in-cheek prizes. There are 
awards for academic accomplishments 



With Award Maker P/t/s every 
achievement big and small 
can now be noted, 
applauded and officially 
rewarded. 



©if t (Eerttficate 
Trev VandenBerg 

worth of 





'^^K^'" 






(Science Award, Student of the Week, 
Honor Roll, Diploma), family celebrations 
(Anniversary, Queen for a Day, Official 
Best Friend), sports feats (Most Improved 
Player, MVP, School Record, Personal 
Best), and humorous offshoots (Party Ani- 
mal, Divot King, T,G,I,F,, Murphy's Law), 
to name a few. 

And if by chance some obscure or eso- 
teric area of commendation can't be found 
in the extensive pre-designed list, one can 
always create a customized piece in the 
Genera! Awards section, where document 
piirameters are wide enough to handle 
any other achievement worth noting. It is 
in this final catch-all category where we 
also discover the meaning of the "plus" in 
this product's title. While flipping through 
the pages of the various General Award 
styles, it becomes apparent that many of 
the certfficate dimensions would lend 
themselves to uses slightly removed from 
the "award" heading — like coupons, raffle 
tickets, titles or licences. Feel free to ex- 
periment. The possibilities are virtually 
limitless. 

Once a specific style has been decided 
upon, its corresponding award number is 
entered and the program takes over, using 
on-screen prompts and option menus to 
painlessly guide you through every phase 
of construction. Many of the steps involve 
the old fill-in-the-blank exercise, where 
you merely type in information like the 



recipient's name, the date and name(s) for 
the signature hne(s). But there are a few 
areas where the creative juices are invited 
to flow, allowing each design to become a 
personal product. 

First there is Font selection, where the 
user is asked to pick a desired text style 
from four possible choices — Old English, 
Script Italic, Book Serif and Modem. The 
award's class will usually surest an ap- 
propriate font style, with the catalog as- 
sisting by illustrating the frill face of ev- 
ery certificate. But the user is usually free 
to select whichever font he wishes. 

When the preferred text style is keyed 
in, it's time to pick a document border. 
Here the choices are wide open. On disk, 
Baudville supphes ten different official- 
looking borders of its own. If the style 
names— like TVefoil, TVellis, Laurel and 
Labyrinth— don't conjure up specific im- 
ages of each intricate design, one only 
. needs to glance at an on-screen style sam- 
phng to immediately recognize their look 
and effect. And just in case you'd fike to 
add a specialized slant to your award, this 
program will even allow for the importa- 
tion and use of any graphic from Broder- 
bund's Print Shop program. By simply 
( taking the borrowed graphic and repeat- 
; ing it around the certificate's edge, Award 
! MaAerP/us can instantly create a unique 
frame for any occasion. 

Continued on page 1 tO 



30 MARCH 1989 




FADE IN COMPUTER- 
GENERATED TEAM LOGOS, 



CHECKERBOARD W[PE 
REVEALS STAR PLAYER. 



SUPERIMPOSED TITLES 
DISPLAY STATISTICS. 




COMIC BOOK EFFECT 
POPS ONTO SCREEN. 



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1 








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DISSOLVE TO TEAM LOGO AND PENNANT 
OVER FREEZE FRAME, FADE TO BLACK. 



Bring Your Home\ldeos Into 

The Big Leagues With 
The Commodore Amiga 500. 



Team up your video system with the 
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and you've got professional video produc- 
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The Amiga* has aheady been 
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you can use its 4096 colors and 
powerful graphics software to 
generate 3-D titles... animation 
-even sophisticated wipes, 
fades and dissolves, Tlien ^ 

superimpose them onto your [ 




: nJi, fct;>*>.t» r-*. »** • »■ '* ^ •-■ * 



videos with an optional genlock device. 

But the Amiga 500 gives you much more 
than video production power It's a complete 
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amazing arcade games. It makes 
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that's in anyone's ballpark. 

So step up to big league home 
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Until novs^ 
you and your Commodore 

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Welcome to Q-Link. 

You and your Commodore' probably 
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Q-Link connects you with tens of 
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Wlien you and your Commodore start 
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And Q-Link gives you a 
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There's so much to do on 
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for that, you'll need our full-color 
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And you'll get that free from 
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going and there's plenty of online support 
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CALENDAR 

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Add new life to your Commodore: 



AMIGA SOFTWARE REVIEWS" 



Reviewed by Ervin Bobo 



Battle Chess 



Computcn 
Publisher: 



Price: 



Amigii 

IntetpL'iv' htxluctions 

1575 CoiiXjrate Drive 

Costa Mesa, CA 92626 

$49.95 



In Monty Python and the Holy Grail (ac- 
cording to my Monty python expert) 
the Black Knight is challenging all who 
would cross his bridge. King Arthur dis- 
patches him by first severing one arm, 
then the other As the knight stands help- 
less, Arthur severe one of his legs. The 
knight hops about until Arthur removK; 
the other leg. Still upright ^d still nasty 
(though much shorter of stature and 
reach) the Black Knight is finally dis- 
abled. 

A similar sequence occurs in Batik 
Chess when the Red Knight fights the 
Blue Knight. I point this out not because I 
consider it imitation, but because I consid- 
er it a tribut£. It is also the key to Battk 
Chess: If you think of it as an entiy-level 
computer chess game designed by rabid 
Monty Python fans, you'll be very close to 
appreciating it for what it is. 

Coasider this: Your king's bishop pawn 
stands at rigid attention in the center of 
the board until the oppasLng queen moves 
toward him. He walks to the near comer 
of the square, taking up a defensive 
stance. The queen raises her hand above 
her head and a bolt of fire or magic hits 
the pawn, who somehow survives. As 
though he can't believe his good fortune, 
he looks over his shoulder at you, then 
turns and tries to run away The queen 
casts another bolt of magic and the pawn, 
who has progressed only one square in his 
headlong flight, and he's reduced to ashes 
(which are magically vacuumed away to 
leave the board neat and clean). 

That's Battk Chess, and it's one of the 
most innovative games of recent memory. 

Comparisons to Archon will come to 
mind, but they can be dismissed. In Ar- 
chon the pieces fight for the square and 
the stronger— or the one best controlled 
by a joystick— wins. Battk Chess follows 
accepted and conventional rules: the at- 
tacking piece will win, no matter what its 
rank, and the end of each individual bat- 
tle is a foregone conclusion. 

Because of this, Battk Chess functions 
as a true computer chess game that can be 
played against the computer or against 




Think of it as an 

entry-level 

computer 

chess game 

designeid by 

rabid 

Monty Python 

fans. 




another human via modem or serial cable. 
On another level, it iijnctions as an intro- 
duction to chess and as a teaching tool. 

ControUed entirely by the mouse, the 
game uses flashing bonders on the squares 
to help you select a piece and to show 
where that piece may move. Put the point- 
er on a square, click the leftmost button to 
select the piece, then move the pointer 
about tlie board. Each square that is a le- 
gal destination will flash, letting you 
know where the piece may be placed. 

When you click on that destination 
square, Battk Chess shows off its distinc- 
tive style: The piece selected will walk 
there, the men stomping heavily in their 
armored boots, the queen seductively 
swinging her hips. And when battle is 
joined, youTl hear the grunts and groans 
of the fighting men. 

Playable on ten levels of expertise and 
with a library of 30,0{X) opening moves, 
Battk Chess is as smart as most other 
computer chess games and, at its highest 
level, may take as long as 21 minutes to 
consider a move. If you're impatient, you 
can use the Force Move feature to cut this 
time short and make the computer take 
the best of the moves it has so far consid- 
ered. At novice level, the computer looks 
at the board only once and so moves are 
made faster. 

Other options include viewing the board 
in 2-D; setting the board for a particular 
problem; saving a game in progress; and 
choosing the color you wish to play. 



Tbaching featuns include the abili^ to 
take back a move or to have the computer 
suggest your next move. As further evi- 
dence that Battk Chess was designed as 
an entry-level game, the documentation is 
solely concerned with teaching the game 
of chess. Tb learn how to play Batik Chess, 
you'll have to consult the quick-reference 
guide. 

After my first day of playing the game, 
I began to question its longevity. How 
many times would I really enjoy .seeing 
these pieces march across the board and 
engage in a battle whose conclusion was 
foregone? Would the gimmick of anima- 
tion wear thin? 

I don't think that's going to be the case 
with Battk Chess. There are variations in 
the battles, and some of the pieces seem to 
have personalities. Even if this were not 
so, consider that in a traditional game of 
chess you wait for your opponent or your 
computer to make a move; the move is 
made; then it's up to you. With Battk 
Chess, there is at least a kind of "between- 
the-acts" entertainment. 

This entertainment does have a price. 
Because of the animation involved, there 
will usually be a pause for disk access 
while the computer drags out the proper 
routine to fit the situation. This has the ef- 
fect of lengthening the time between 
moves hut is well worth it. 

What you may lo^ after repeated plays 
is the element of surprise. There is one 

Conlinued on page 37 



34 MARCH 1989 



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AMIGA SOFTWARE REVIEWS' 



Reviewed by Mike Rivers 



Captain Blood 

Computer: Amiga 

Puljlisher; Mindscajx?, Inc. 

3444 Dundee Road 
Northbi-ook, IL 60062 

Price: U9.% 



Step right up, science fiction fans! 
Mindscape has an outstanding new 
entry in the interactive adventure mar- 
ket. Captain Blood features spectacular 
graphics, speech and sound effects, a 
unique user interface, fractal landscapes 
and tlieme masic hy Jean-Michel Jarre. 
As soon as you boot up, you know this 
game is different. But, be warned. Captain 
Blood is absorbing. 

The premise oWaptainBkod makes 
interesting reading. You are a game pro- 
grammer who goes by the pseudonym 
"Captain Blood." Blood has programmed 
the ultimate sci-fi adventure, complete 
witli 14 species of aliens and 32,768 differ- 
ent planets. (An* mateys! Get ready to sail 
the silicon spaceways!) WTiile compiling 
his program for the final time. Captain 
Blood gets drawn into the program by an 
unknown force (1 hate it whenever that 
happens to me) and fmds himself in the 
universe he created, Hydra. Unfortunate- 
ly for Blood, his genetic structure has 
been fragmented and scattered all over 
Hydra in the form of five clones. 

Meanwhile, his body parts are slowly 
being replaced with auto-bionic parts fiijm 
his own Geiger-Iike ship, starting with his 
right arm (which takes the place of the 
mouse pointer). The only way to stop this 
process is to find the clones one by one, te- 
leport them on board the ship inside the 
'Trigitflrimn," (a kind of combination sus- 
pended animation device/bug-eyed mon- 
ster distillery) and then drink their vital 
fluids. Captain Blo(xi has approximately 
two and a half hours to locate a clone and 
get back some vital fluid before his arm 
becomes uncontrollable. 

Finding the clones is, of course, no easy 
task. Clues to their whereabouts can only 
be discovered by talking to the various 
aliens in the game. All aliens have differ- 
ent psychologies, behaviors and gripes 
that must be understood in order to get in- 
formation and planetarj' coordinates. 

With over 32,000 planets, you can fly 
around forever and never find a sentient 
race. Because of this, it's a good idea to 




All aliens have different psychologies, behaviors and 
gripes that must be understood in order to get 
information and other planetary coordinates. 



vmte down your starting coordinates be- 
fore going anywhere. Youll never find 
your way back otherwise. 

Tb find aliens, you must drop a remote 
exploration unit, called an "OORXS," 
onto the surface of the planet and pilot it 
to a landing site. Sometimes your progress 
is hampered by enemy missiles which 
track your OORXS. io avoid the missiles 
you must fly as close to the ground as 
possible. 

Once you have successfully negotiated 
the narrow ctmyons that load to the land- 
ing area located on each planet, the 
OORXS lands, and you immediately meet 
an ahen if the planet is inhabited. The 
first planet in the game is always 
inhabited. 

The meaas of communicating with 
aliens is where Captain Blood really 
shines. Conversation is facilitated via the 
ships' UPCOM (Universal Pix)tocol of 
Communication) which consists of 120 
icons which you can sequence into com- 
plex sentences. Icons are automatically 
and continually translated by pointing at 
them. The result is a sort of pidgin Eng- 
lish which enhances the sci-fi quality of 
the game. A typical exchange might go 
like this: 

Alien: "Planet equal Trap 4. Me great 
warrior Dead Genetic. Me not like you 
(curse) (insult)." 



Blood: "You not help me, me destroy 
planet (laugh). You go brain spirit. You 
say coordinate planet Migrax." 

Success depends on your ability to cor- 
rectly interpret what the aliens are say- 
ing. Aliens can be very cooperative and of- 
fer plenty of information, or they can be 
downright stubborn— or worse-seemingly 
incoherent. If you manage to get a set of 
coordinates fiiom the alien, then you can 
find your way to another inhabited planet, 

' another alien and new information. 

\ TVavel betwc>en planets is accomplished 
by setting the coordinates of your destina- 
tion on the galactic map (a superbly- 
drawn graphic) and pressing the "hyper- 
space activator" Afl^er a brief moving 
starfield segment, the viewscreen becomes 
a spectacular animated kaleidoscope 
which is interesting to watch and imparts 
a sense of inter-stellar travel. At first, I 
felt the hyperspace and OORXS segments 
were a bit long. After a while, you realize 
that this is an inducement to be more 
communiciitive with the aliens, and after 
all, space travel is time consuming. 

Sooner or later, an alien will ask that 
you destroy an enemy's planet. Under cer- 
tain circumstances, this may be an appro- 
priate course of action. Sometimes the 
ahens can be so insulting you may want to 
blow them up whether it's appropriate or 
not. Either way, this segment makes ex- 



35 MARCH 1989 



Amiga Software Reviews/Captain Blood- Amiga Software Reviews/ Battle Cfiess — Software Reviews/Fast Break 



cellent use of the age-old science fiction 
device of "space-dog dispassionately de- 
stroys alien planet." What fun! Die, you 
accursed space-scum!. 

The game is won after all five clones are 
located and their vital fluids absorbed. 
The fifth and final clone gives you the lo- 
cation of Tbrka, the Ondoyante. Once tele- 
ported aboard your ship, she presumably 
helps you find your way out of the game — 
or she doesn't. Let's put it this way, I guess 
the good Captain won't be needing the 
UPCOM anymore. 

When playing Captain Blood, keep a 
blank data disk handy. Don't try to finish 
the game in one sitting, the graphics are 
too good to risk "player bum-out." Four or 
five planetfalls are enough for one session, 
and there's plenty to reflect on between 
games. Have a pen and paper handy to 
take notes; there's a lot of information to 
keep track of New planetaiy coordinates 
are generated for every game, so no two 
games are exactly alike. 

Although Captain Blood has a pleasing- 
ly-short learning curve with a big play- 
value payoff, read the manual and tip 
pamphlet, and keep them nearby for ref- 
erence. In the meantime, give my regards 
to Tbrka n 



Continued from page 34 

battle that pays homage to a scene bom 
Raiders of the Lost Ark and another in- 
volving quarteistafis that may owe a debt 
to Errol Flynn's Robin Hood. Part of the 
eryoyment of such scenes is the first thrill 
of discovery and recognition, and that will 
be gone on the second viewing. Even so, 
not every scene will occur in eveiy game, 
and given the almost infinite variations 
possible in chess, most games played will 
seem like new experiences. 

Battle Chess can be played by two play- 
ers through a modem or serial cable con- 
necting t\vo computers, the baud rate is 
set at 300. You can also communicate by 
keyboard during the game: as you type 
your message {"Hah! Gotcha!"), it is dis- 
played in a window at the other end of the 
line. 

In spite of the minor drawback of possi- 
ble repetition of scenes, Battle Chess is one 
of the better games of the season, and it is 
truly innovative. Both sound and anima- 
tion are superb, the designers have taken 
extra steps to make a game that is both 
fun to watch and fun to play. And while it 
functions well in teaching the game of 
chess, it is smart enough to challenge 
most of us for years to come. Q 



Continued from page 20 

comparable opponents are the best. In the 
hands of expert players, the game unfolds 
smoothly firom the opening buzzer and 
continues at a lightning pace. Precise ball- 
handling, passing, play-calling and shoot- 
ing can set the court ablaze. 

Although basketball is a team sport, 
Fast Break puts all the pressure on a sin- 
gle player: you. Fast Break stumbles, but 
recovers nicely to emerge a thoroughly 
entertaining sports contest. 

Here are a few tips for creative ball han- 
dling, 

• When in doubt, pass. The other team 
has no qualms about ripping the ball fmm 
your hands. Keep the ball moving to cast 
a spell of confusion on your opponent. 

• Play your team according to their 
strengths. Don't force good inside players 
to try three-point shots. 

• Following a three-point attempt, imme- 
diately transfer control to a player close to 
the net for a rebound and jwssible slam 
dunk, 

• Utilize the fast break following a turn - 
over on the opponent's side of the court. 
If one of your players can't be seen, more 
than likely he's down court waiting for the 
long pass, B 



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COMMODORE MAGAZINE 37 



AMIGA SOFTWARE REVIEWS 



Reviewed by Gary V. Fields 



WordPerfect 
Library 

Computer: Amiga 

Publisher: WoidPerfect Coiporation 
288 West Center 
Orem, UT84a57 

Price: $12i).(X) 



There is a new hbrary in your neigh- 
borhood dedicated to helping you con- 
quer your Amiga data problems. Its name 
is WordPerfect Library. On a single disk is 
a collection of five programs which can 
help any Amiga iLser master the routine 
productivity problems invoking informa- 
tion, files, dates or number handling. 
Amiga business users (either at home or 
in the office), will find Library's pro- 
grams—calculator, calendar, file manager, 
notebook and program editor— perfect, in- 
tuitive solutions to those important, but 
tedious offire chores we usually procrasti- 
nate tackling. 

Notebook 

This mini-database provides an easj' 
way to organize information for quick ac- 
cess, 'lb take the intimidation out of data 
management, each file created with Note- 
book resembles a card fmm a file box. 
Anyone who has faced the chore of setting 
up and maintaining a database will ap- 
preciate how simple this one is to use. Its 
intuitive design allows anyone who in- 
vests half an hour perusing the manual's 
tutorial to master this database. All of the 
program's editing and design controls can 
be activated by either pull-down menus or 
direct keyboard input. Instant help is 
available by pressing the HELP key. Add 
an easy-to-understand 174-page manual, 
and it is easy to predict Notebook is a 
database most users will love. 

The program does not approach the 
power of a database like Superbane Pmfes- 
stonal or DBase, but is perfect for those of 
us who simply need quick access to infor- 
mation and don't care whether the data- 
base can calculate tax rates or print pay- 
roll checks. 

Notebook is also easy to manage. Using 
wordprocesKor-like commands, you can 
search for particular entries. You can sort 
your data list by simply pulling down a 
menu and selecting the argument. If you 
have included a field to contain phone 
numbers and have a modem attached to 



On a single disk are five 
programs to help any Amiga 
user master the routine 
problems involving 
information, files, dates or 
number handling. 

your computer, you can even have the pro- 
gram dial the number for you. Database 
files can also be saved to disk and merged 
with WordPerfect documents to create per- 
sonalized forms, invoices or letters. 

File Manager 

Because all of the Amiga's DOS (Disk 
Operating System) management oper- 
ations cannot be accessed directly fitim 
Worktench (with it you can only handle 
directories and files which have display 
icotis) most u.sers eventually go shopping 
for a DOS aide. Recognizing this neeid, 
WordPerfect chose to include File Man- 
ager in their Library pack. This program 
lets the user intuitively handle most of 
the disk managing chores like copy, de- 
lete, move, rename, make directorv'. etc., 
\\ liicli noitnally iiKjuire the user to dive 
into the sometimes-confusing world of CLI 
(Command Line Interface). 

File Manager uses a display window to 
show the files available for control and a 
double row of gadgets which let you oper- 
ate on the selected file by just pointing 
and clicking. These gadgets include four 
definable drives which can be either phys- 
ical (floppy, hard drive and RAM:} or logi- 
cal (using the disk or filename) and com- 
mands which include not only the routine 
controls but others like "word" and "date" 
search as well. By highlighting a file or 
device and then clicking on the required 
command, the user can quickly move, du- 
plicate, locate, rename or print it. Anyone 
who has wrestled with CLI will be delight- 
ed with the simple DOS controls offered 
by File Manager 

The single disappointment is that Pile 
Manager uses a single window for display 
while I prefer two. I don't like a single win- 
dow bcH^uuse the user is restricted to view- 
ing the directory from only one device at a 
time. Tb be fair, I know several Amiga 
owners who use similar DOS utilities and 
think they are wonderful. So while 111 
agree that File Manager does its job well, 



I'll stick to Di^M/a.s'ter (which has dual 
windows) until File Manager expands. 

Calendar 

If time management is ever a problem, 
you'll appreciate the help offered by Li- 
braiys Calendar program. When selected 
the screen divides itself into four windows 
labeled Calendar, Appointments, lb-Do 
and Memo. The calendar window looks ex- 
actly like what you would expect — rows of 
numbered boxes. When you first access 
the program, the month and date defaults 
to the most recent date set by your system 
disk. Because I have designed my startup- 
sequence to automatically request the 
date and time, my version of Calendar al- 
ways begins by displaying the correct day 
and time. As the computer's internal clock 
ticks away, the time displayed in the ac- 
tive window is constantly updated. 

Beyond simply letting you check the 
dates either present future or past. Calen- 
dar helps you keep track of important 
dates and appointments. By clicking on 
the month icons you can scroll forward or 
backward by months, lb jump forward or 
backward by years, click on the direction- 
al icons displayed below the year, lb select 
a specific date, highlight the day of the 
month you want to examine. Once select- 
&i the thnMJ windows (Appointments, Tb- 
Do and Memo) display any appointments 
or notes assigned to that day. Use the Ap- 
pointment section to arrange your daily 
schedule. There is room for a time as well 
as a note describing the appointment in 
this window. The lb-Do window lets you 
input lists of things you want to accom- 
plish during the current day When you 
dispense with something on the list, you 
can check it off, and any unchecked items 
can be automatically moved to the next 
working day. The memo window lets you 
input general text messages to yourself 
without requiring they be assigned a 
time. 

Beyond just helping you manage your 
time, the program includes an option to 
dump the window to your printer, so you 
can share it with your secretary or post it 
on your office bulletin board. And if that 
weren't enough, the program lets you in- 
put two dates and it will tell you instantly 
how many days exist bet\veen the two — 
useful for reminding your wife how many 
shopping days are left before your birth- 
day 

Calendar's Alarm program can prompt 



38 MARCH 1989 



Software Reviews/ WorilPeilect library— 

you ftxim any program, not just one of Li- 
brar/s utilities. Once activated you sim- 
ply tell it which Calendar file to use as ref- 
erence and then foi^t it. It will automati- 
cally search the file and date you assigned 
and program itself to report to you when 
an appointment is approaching. As an ex- 
ample: Let's say it's April 12 and you 
make an appointment for your dentist at 
10:30 on the morning of June 25, 1989. 
When that dale rolls around, any program 
you are using will be interrupted and a 
small window will appear displaying the 
appointment date, time and note. Along 
with the visual reminder, the program 
will buzz to get your attention and then 
proceed to speak the information about 
the appointment. I love this feature for 
two reasons; (1) it is a useful, sensible fea- 
ture which lets tlie computer serve the 
user, and (2) it puts the Amiga's synthe- 
sized voice to constructive use. I give the 
programmer a gold star for the inclusion 
of AJarm in the Library collection. 

Program Editor 

At first glance the program editor may 
appear to have little use for most users. 
But don't presume because the word pro- 
gram is in the title, this offering is usefiil 
to software developers alone. Nothing 
could be fiirther fiijm the truth, although 
it certainly would be of interest to any pro- 
grammer, since it includes an option to 
edit either alpha/numeric or HEX code, 

I found the Editor useful when I needed 
to delete some coded garbage which had 
been received while transferring an 
ASCn file from my Commodore 128 to my 
Amiga. Anyone who downloads files 
knows that some services and software 
will append a block of padding to the end 
of the file which needs to be chopped off 
before the file or software can be used. 
Snipping that unwanted block of code is 
very simple with Program Editor. Beyond 
that speafic use, the program is perfect for 
creating batch files (like the startup- 
sequence file). 

Anyone who has used the Amiga's sys- 
tem editor (ED) will quickly abandon it 
for Librarys program editor, since it has 
most of the editing functions and none of 
the limitations inflicted on the user by 
ED. 

Fyou are a machine language pro- 
grammer, you'll love the program's HEX 
edit feature. When it is activated two win- 
dovre are opened — one which displays 
what is typed in ASCII code and the other 
using HEX. You are &Be to input code us- 
ing either vrindow — in fact you can toggle 



(by activating the window with the 
mouse) between the two windows. What is 
unique is that regardless of which window 
you use, the code is echoed in both win- 
dovre (if nothing else, this is a simple way 
to learn the HEX equivalents of ASCII 
symbols). 

Calculator 

This utility contains three calculators 
designed to perform simple or advanced 
mathematical fimctions. The program 
performs flawlessly inside the Amiga's 
multitasking environment, so you can 
toggle between it and any other productiv- 
ity program vdth a click of your mouse. In 
addition to supporting common math 
functions using the standard calculator, 
you can turn this one into a (1) scientific 
tool complete with trigonometric and loga- 
rithmic functions or (2) a programmer's 
calculator which supports hexadecimal, 
octal, decimal or binaiy mode, or (3) a fi- 
nancial aide capable of calculating inter- 
est, costs, profit margins and amortiza- 
tion. Each mode of operation gives you ac- 
cess to 100 memory registers which are 
maintained even when the prognmi is 
closed. Before you finish with the program 
you can even save its current state, in- 
cluding registers, contents, display mode, 



window position and calculation to disk 
for future adjustments. Needless to say, 
Ltirar/s Calculator is not a plain vanilla 
math machine. If you have a need which 
involves math, you can do it with this util- 
ity. The program lacks one feature— you 
cannot dump your calculations directly to 
a printer. 

Complaints 

As always, I can find something nega- 
tive to say about any program, and Li- 
brary is no exception. If you are a user of 
WordPerfect you will be annoyed by the 
inconsistent use of the numeric keypad. 
While the word processor uses the nu- 
meric pad primarily for cursor and editing 
controls (you have to shift to get the nu- 
meric response), some of LiAra/ys utilities 
ignore it completely or use it with incon- 
sistency. Apparently, the numeric keypad 
is reserved for the exclusive use of the cal- 
culator. 

Let me voice one more complaint about 
the handling of the numeric keypad by Li- 
brarys utilities. If you are a heavy user of 
WordPerfect, you will soon stumble across 
another reason to be upset with the pro- 
grammer's inconsistent handling of the 
keypad. One o^Librar/s programs (I'm 

Continued on page llO 




Excellence,,, 

for the Commodore 



Product Family 

Look for the name that 
spells Quality, 

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and Reliability. 

U. Kemal - a 20 or 40 
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pons CP/M, 

Super Graphix GOLD - the ultimate printer interface including a 32K buf- 
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Super Graphix - an enhanced printer interface including NLQ, an 8K buffer, 

reset button, a utility disk with 27 fonts and more. 

Super Graphix jr - an economical printer interface with NLQ and graphics, 

FontMaster 11 - a powerful wordprocessor for the C64 with 30 fonts ready 
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FontMaster 128 -a super wordprocessor for the 128 including 56 fonts ready 

to use, a 102,000 word spell checker and much more. 

All Hardware is FCC Certified All Interfaces include a Lifetime Warranty 

j= C64 and 128 are rcg. TM of Commodore Business Machines, Inc. 

MM^E.^%^ 2804 Arnold Rd. Salina, KS. 67401 (913) 827-0685 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 39 




Creatf 

funis up' 
luly^ 

point. 



These days, 
you can find 
all kinds of pro- 
grams that call themselves 
desktop publishers. Oh, one 
may drop a drawing here or 
create a column there. But 
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Nobody's got anything like 
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You see, geoPublish is 
a real desktop publisher. 
With hundreds more features 
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of pages, and leave your 
non-GEOS friends frenzied 
with frustration. 



luxt 

auloinatlcally 
flows aivund 
graphics. 



"Full featured desktop 
publishing on the Com- 
modore 64? Including 
laser printing? If 1 hadn't 
seen it with my own eyes 
on my own Commodore 
64, 1 wouldn't have 
believed it, either." 

— MicniTimi-s, March, H>tW 

With geoPublish, you pour 
your geo Write text into col- 
umns and around graphics. 
Automatically. You can use 
any of the 21 preset page 



layouts or any of the zillions 
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After that, it's off to fun 
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The geoPublish toolbox 
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special effects in almost 
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In any combination you 
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high. 

'Ofthe three soft- 
ware packages I used 
(geoPublish, Personal 
Newsletter, Outrageous 

Pages), geoPublish most 
resembles professional 
desktop publishing 
programs!' _ki,n. M„rch whs 

.'\nd that's just what you 
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Banners. Enlarge or reduce 
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page. And print the whole 
thing out on a LaserPrinter 
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Of course, those aren't the 
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because major magazines — 
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Saying that people will use 
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Prim MastiT " usiiiK (iHOS Graphics Grabber 
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• Full page and looni display modes. 

• On-screen rulers, disilal cursor control allows 
exact placement in full pafje edit modes. 



VVVirk iti full p^iKH' [>M'\'if\^- rnt»(le 



Zoom into actual size 



1 ■U.'V.VBflF.TT^ - 

1 
'•■■■ ( 

i 




< 


Ifer-l 




• 

rf 

3 


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i 



[ mMES BIG t 








(iMtduJUjuiJUitoiu 

PpiW H«i^ I?^'^ 



M"' 






Rovk' text into atlLiaiiiis 



ric-4iUitnL'S m -i u» i^<: pt^mLs 



K.r.v ^[r.i[>hk" ohjirfl iniini[Ki1.t1:i: 



Hey, with press like that 
what more need we say? 

Well, we can say we ve got 
even more features. In fact, 
a whole What-You-See-Is- 
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So if you're serious about 
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taking seriously The brightest minds are working witli Berkeley. 



• Supports ovvr Ht) (>E'X)S conipatitile font-s in 
point sizes ranKiuK from -I to 192 point (.05" 
to 2.(i"). 

' Plain, bold, underline, outline, italic, super- 
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these typestyles allowtd for each font. 

• Supports dot matrix and ["ost Script laser 
primers. 

• Supports up to 16 pafies in leti^th, kn!«r dr>cu- 
menLs cin be cre.itea by settinK the startiiiH 
paj^e number. 

Master Piige Mode 

• Support for left and riKht master passes. 

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• Automatic pajje numbering can set star tins 
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design. 

Berkeley 
Softworks 




• Library feature for savinfj master page layouts, 
product conjes witlia master page library with 
swcral standard layouts. 

Poife l.nyout Mode 

■ Imports text fmm any Commodore wird 
processor. 

• Flexible design and placement of text columns, 
column layout, size and combinations can be 
altered at any time. 

■ Built-in editor supports full word processing 
features of geoWrite 2.1 for text flowed into 
geoPublish columns. 

■ Snap to tjuides feature allows for easy layout 
iisinj; master pa};e guidelines, 

• llser-seleclabk' gutters (space bctwven 
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as anchored (text flows around) grajihics. 

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PiiKf Graphic Mode 

• Contains a complete object oriented draw pto- 
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GEOPUBLISH Ssi 




AMIGA SOFTWARE REVIEWS' 



Reviewed by John J. Kottler 



Torch 2081 



Computer AmiKa 
Publisher: Digital Concepts 

43035 Haves Rd. 

Suite 229 

Sterling Heighte, MI 48078 
Price: $&k% 



A thunderous clap bursts as anotlier 
xaJireball scorches across the sicy. Yom' 
eyes follow the hall's path, and you wince 
upon its impact. The hurst of light is un- 
bearable, yet you manage to fumble for 
the doors to the rusty hangar. You punch 
the button and they creak open, slowly re- 
vealing an archaic Star Defenise Glider. 
Maintenance crews shuffle between com- 
puter consoles and the glider, making last- 
minute adjustments. As you approach ±e 
glider, a private salutes, "She's ail ready, 
sir." 

Your eyes trace the outline of the ship, 
but are caught on the mechanism in- 
stalled on the rear of the crafl. A sigh of 
despair escapes you as you wonder how 
this space glider can possibly halt the in- 
vasion of fireballs that plagues your plan- 
et. You climb into the craft's cockpit, fa- 
miliarizing yourself with its ancient in- 
struments. Another burst of light sparks 
outside the hangar and you realize you 
have no time to wjiste. Several lights 
blink on at the touch of a button, and you 
wrap your hands around the craft's con- 
trols. Anxiety builds as you glance hack 
toward the new addition to your glider All 
you can do is hope and pray that this con- 
traption will work. Reseating yourself, 
you shove the throttle forward, regaining 
confidence once the glider's engines roar 
at your conmiand. 

Torch 2081 is an arcade game that com- 
bines arcade action and strateg>'. As the 
pilot of a 39-year-old ship, you are to pro- 
tect your planet from the invasion of fire- 
balls. This Star Defense Glider (SDG) has 
teen outfitted with a de\'ice tliat allows 
you to construct metallic barriers which 
strengthen the planet's defense shield. 
The object is fairly simple: to shield a re- 
quired percentage of the planet's territory. 
Although this task seems simple, it is not. 
The fireball that you are attempting to en- 
close bounces around the screen at ran- 
dom speeds in random directions. If it 
touches your ship or the trail that your 
ship leaves behind to construct a wall, 
your ship is destroyed. Besides the fireball 




As the pilot of a 39-year-oid 
ship, you are to protect your 
planet from the invasion of 
fireballs. 



an additional haztird, the spitfire, is occa- 
sionally thrown fiiom the core of the fins- 
ball. This menace destroys your ship if it 
comes in contact with it. In addition there 
are perimeter patrollers that rove around 
the border of the playing field. They will 
also follow along the bordei-s of the walls 
you have created and seek to destroy your 
glider. As if all this weren't enough, you 
must complete the level before yoiu- glider i 
runs out of fuel. 

Those who remember the ^me Qix 
&Bm the arcades will find similarities in 
Thrch 2081. The object in Qix was to en- 
close an unruly line within boxes created 
by your path. Although the gameplay is 
fairly similar, Digital Concepts has added 
a realistic story line behind it and altered 
it enough to make it an incredibly addict- 
ing game. The graphics are superbly ani- 
mated, and the sounds are clearly digi- 
tized. Unfortunately, there is no real dif- 
ference between levels of play. Successive 
levels offer no unique qualities besides 
colors and fill-patterns as far as the play- 
ing field is concerned. The only factors 
that change are speed, and difficulty. If 
there were different playing boards for 
each level, the player would have a great- 



er desire to continue playing harder to see 
the next level. Every five levels there is a 
bonus level which includes two fireballs 
instead of one. 

In all, Digital Concepts has done a fine 
job of reviving a classic arcade hit. The 
game is one that is enjoyable to play and 
will certainly capture the player's atten- 
tion for a good length of time. Its only 
drawback lies not in the game itself, but 
in its documentation. The instruction 
manual included with the game is brief- 
almost too brief My copy of the manual 
neglected to inform me of "Bonus 
Squares" that pop up occasionally on the 
playing board. Several different squares 
appear with different labels. Unfortunate- 
ly, this was not covered in the manual, 
and I stiD have no idea what some of the 
squares do. Some offer bonus points, while 
others actually destroy the ship! 

Overall, Torch 2081 proves to be a 
promising revival of a once-popular ar- 
cade game. It is important to remember it 
is not a simulator, but a strategic arcade 
game viewed ftom above the ship. The 
game will certainly be considered a 
unique one in the Amiga world and a fa- 
vorite to old Q ix fans. B 



42 MARCH 1989 



AMIGA SOFTWARE REVIEWS' 



Reviewed by Jay Kee 



Global 
Commander 



Computer: 


Amiga 


Publisher: 


Data-soft 




ISaBNoi-diiofr Place 




Chatsworth, CA 91311 


Price: 


m.% 



The year is 2032. You've been appoint- 
ed Global Commander of the United 
Nuclear Nations, and your mission- 
should you choose to accept it^is to ride 
shotgun over the 16 member nations and 
keep them from blowing each other up — a 
job that might best be described as jug- 
gling chain saws while going over Niagra 
Falls in a rubber dinghy But don't get the 
wrong idea. Your chances for success 
aren't impossible at all . . . just highly un- 
likely. 

This is Global Commander, the latest 
Amiga release from Datasoft, and one 
that is very likely to cause some serious 
hair loss among its players. 

Your first hint of trouble is the letter 
fixim the former Global Commander 
printed on the inside front cover of the 
manual. It doesn't take a degree in Rocket 
Science to realize this guy's elevator 
doesn't go all the way to the top floor— ob- 
viously the result of too much time spent 
playing Global Commander. 

The second sign of trouble comes when 
you realize that this is the same guy re- 
sponsible for supplying the hints and tips 
on strategy "sprinkled throughout the 
manual." 

The final clue comes when you try to 
play the game. In a matter of a few moves, 
all hell breaks ltx)se. Accusations fly and 
demands for food, technology and nuclear 
weaponiy start piling up. Cryptic radio 
traffic is intercepted, and some of the mes- 
sages are even unscrambled enough to be 
read. Your orders to re-allocate food and 
resources are sometimes ignored; your or- 
ders to cut back on nuclear weapons are 
always ignored (unless your Rapid De- 
ployment UNN Task Force happens to be 
stationed in that country, but your UNN 
Tksk Force is always two or three weeks 
away fhim the country where they're most 
needed). Unfiiendly countries start criti- 
cizing your efficiency, demanding your 
resignation; friendly countries pat you on 




The trick is to understand 
the true nature of the 
relationships between 
nations and head off trouble 
before it escalates into war. 



the back while stockpiling illegal weap- 
ons. Conventional wars start without 
warning, then nuclear war breaks out. A 
non-confidence vote is called, and 12 of 16 
countrira give you the thumbs-dowTi — 
you're out on your butt. 

Back to the manual, re-read it again for 
the third time— is there something you 
missed? TVy again and yet again. The re- 
sults are prettj' much the same. 

Balance of Power comes to mind when 
you first play this game. There are some 
obvious similarities. However, while not 
nearly as complex, Glofml Commander is 
infinitely more frustrating. The primary 
reason is a manual that is too busy being 
funny to be usefiil. It provides the barest 
outline of the game's various elements, of- 
fering virtually no practical or useful in- 
formation. 

However, the game itself is straightfor- 
ward enough. As Global Commander, you 
control SDI and Reconnaissance satel- 
lites—one to intercept incoming missiles 
and the other to gather intelligence infor- 
mation—and a UNN f^k Force. You po- 
sition the satelhtes over nations that are 
either hostile or suspicious, repositioning 
them as the political climate changes. You 
also deploy the Tksk Force to nations that 
are behaving particulariy badly in order 
to bring them into line (your only "mili- 
taiy" option). 

You monitor the Resource, Tfechnologi- 
cai and Nuclear capabilities of each coun- 
try through simple bar graph displays, | 



and monitor communications with a radio 
receiver that scans across six frequency 
bands. It's up to you to learn which fre- 
quency each country is using, and unless 
you're tuned to that exact frequency, the 
messages you intercept are scrambled. 
Unscrambling a message requires turn- 
ing eight sipal filters on or off in correct 
combination. 

Interaction with the 16 member nations 
is accomplished through sending or re- 
ceiving "memos" and official letters. In 
this manner, nations can ask for food, re- 
sources or weapons; request sanctions; 
state intentions, criticize or praise your 
actions or declare war. Concurrently, you 
(as Global Commander) can order an in- 
crease or decrease in missiles, issue letters 
of reprimand or support, allocate food or 
technology, tell nations to improve their 
relations or call a vote of confidence (not a 
particularly good idea in most cases). 

The trick to this game is understanding 
the true nature of the relationships be- 
tween nations and heading off trouble be- 
fore it escalates into war. The only prob- 
lem is that the manual does not provide 
enough background information to enable 
a player to adequately interpret the words 
or actions of member nations. 

The net result is a game that has to be 
played blind, with player actions based on 
pure guesswork and strategy devised by 
trial and error. A frustrating and totally 
unnecessary flaw in what is otherwise a 
veiy well-designed game. B 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 43 



AMIGA SOmVARE REVIEWS' 



Ganymed/ 
Bomb Busters 

Computer: Amga 

Publishen ReadySoft, Inc. 
P.O. Box 1222 
LewTston, NY 140^ 

Price: $^X% each 



Two new arcade games from ReadySoft 
are for pure arcade addicts wishing to 
indulge in some fast-paced shoot-outs and 
quick-thinking strategy. Both games 
come under the company's EuroHne title, 
which means great games for a lower 
price. 

Ganymed 

This is a fast-reflex, laser-blasting game 
based on the robotic snow walkers from 
the mo\ie Star Wars. Press the fire button 
to start out with four ships. It is your job to 
assume command ofthe star fighter jet 
and blast as many robots as possible. At 
the top of the screen are three indicators: 
current level, score and the number of 
lives remaining. Your ship will always ap- 
pear on the far right side of the screen, 
and the enemy robots will be hidden 
somewhere on the left side. As you move 
your ship left or right, the background 
will scroll horizontally in that direction. 

Each level consists of four large station- 
ary robots which fire homing lasers at 
your ship. This makes it extremely diffi- 
cult to destioy them, requiring you to 
make several passes while firing directly 
at them. Aflsr several direct hits from 
your lasers, the robot will come crashing 
to the ground, so you can go on to the next 
one. Once all the robots have been de- 
stroyed, you will advance to the next level, 
which will be tougher than the last. You 
will be rewarded with an extra ship for ev- 
ery thousand points. 

I have one major complaint with 
Ganymed— the scenery doesn't change 
throughout the entire game. It would've 
been nice to see a difierent background 
now and then, as well as some different 
looking robots. 

In spite of this, 1 found Ganymed both 
challenging and eryoyable. The game in- 
cludes a handy pause option for taking 
time out from blasting the enemy and a 
top ten list ofthe greatest sky fighters. 




Reviewed by Jeffery Scott Hall 



It is your job ■ 
to assume ' 
command of the star 
fighter jet and blast ;,.... 
as many robots ' 
as possible, 

Ganynied combines great sound efleds 
and graphioj in an enjoyable game for | 
anyone looking for fast-paced laser action. 

Robot Removal: Ganynied Tips | 

• When attacking a robot, fire heavily 
at the head. Make passes instead of direct 
attacks. This is done by firing and run- 
ning until the robot is finally destroyed. 

• After you've destroyed a robot, part of 
the body section might still be visible. Do 
not attempt to pass this; if you do, it will 
most likely result in the ship's destruc- 
tion. Wait to fly past when the body sec- i 
tion is no longer visible. 

Bomb Busters 

Quick thinking and fast action are re- 
quired to be a bomb buster. The game be- 
gins with rap music and voices in the 
background. Press the fire button and en- 
ter a level code or press RETURN for 
none. After every tenth level in the game, 
you will be given a code word which may 
be entered at this prompt. This allows 
more advanced players to skip past the 
less demanding levels of play. 

As a member ofthe Bomb Busters, you 
must collect all the bombs before they ex- 
plode. Equipped only with a jet pack and 
four Bomb Busters (or lives), you must 
journey to different regions ofthe globe in 
order to stop the terrorists fmm destroying 
famous landmarks. You appear in ran- 
domly-determined places ranging fmm 
the Statue of Liberty in the U.S. to the 







n 






pyramids of Egypt. 

Bombs will be placed in different strate- 
gic locations around the landmark; the 
number of bombs varies according to 
which level you are in. It is your job to de- 
activate the bombs — by touching them — 
before they explode. This is done by mov- 
ing our bold character in the direction of 
the bomb with his jet pack. (Pressing the 
fire button and joystick in the dii-ection 
you wish to go activates the jet pack, al- 
lovving you to fly around the screen.) This 
would seem boring if no enemies were in- 
cluded to stop you. So in onler not to dis- 
appoint you, at least one enemy will be in 
each level. These enemies float in differ- 
ent areas on the screen and range fit)m a 
.357 Magnum to a broom that just sweeps 
you away If any contact is made, you will 
lose a life. While you are playing the 
game, a laughing happy face will appear 
for a short time. If you successfully touch 
the happy face, you will be rewarded with 
bonus points, an extra life or a power pill 
which lets you destroy the enemy When a 
bomb starts to flash, you have only a few 
seconds to reach it before detonation. E 
you are unsuccessful, you will either be 
killed or the landmark will be defaced. 

After a succe^ful bomb bust, the game 
screen will be replaced with the bomb bo- 
nus screen. This transition is uniquely 
done thinugh the use of screen wipes — 
truly a nice added special effect that must 
be seen to be appreciated. The bomb bo- 

Coittiiuied on page 105 



44 MARCH 1989 




uu^ 




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nmymui 



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Call Mon-Fri: 9:30-4:30 

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OR WRITE TO:- 
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The computer that 

works like 

the mind of a musician. 

A musician's mind is like a miraculous computer that runs several programs at the same 
time. It weaves a bass line while painting an improvised melody. The mathematics of chords 
and scales flood its memory along with emotion and occasional inspiration. It's a perfect 
network of intricately choreographed events— all occurring at once, 

Commodore* Amiga personal computers work much the same way. 

Through a process called multi-tasking, Amigas can actually run several programs at 
once. If you're composing or arranging music on a computer, multi-tasking can mean a 
radical increase in speed, spontaneity, and creativity. 

Because with an Amiga* you can run a MIDI music sequencer 
while you edit patches, samples— even your production notes. And 
you can compose a music video by running powerful Amiga 
graphics software in concert with MIDI music tracks. 

So get a closer look at the computer that thinks like vou do. See 
your Authorized Dealei; or call 1-800-343-3000, ext. 200 for in-depth 
information about the affordable Amiga 500, the expandable Amiga 
2000, and the large and growing librarj' of Amiga music software. 

Only Amiga Makes It Possible. 



m 



AMIGA ^ 




PROJECTS 

Buflding a 
MIDI Interface 
Device 

for the Commodore 64 
and 128 



MIDI is an acronym for Musical In- 
strument Digital Interface. MIDI is 
a standard communication protocol (fast 
serial) that allows various electronic mu- 
sic synthesizers to be linked to one an- 
other. An electronic marriage of computer 
technolo^ to music synthesizers is possi- 
ble due to the implementation of MIDI. 
This month's project will provide that in- 
terface. 

Why Electronic Synthesizers? 

Electronic synthesizers in general have 
opened up a whole new world of possibili- 
ties for musicians and artists. Aside from 
the synthesizer's ability to accurately 
mimic traditional instruments and 
sounds, they have an added ability to gen- 
erate new colors of sound never seen be- 
fore. The possibilities do not end there. 

Inasmuch as synthesizers are a tremen- 
dous boon for musicians, with MIDI they I 
are even better. The most obvious advan- 
tage is the ability to play or control sever- 
al synthesizers at once from a single 
MIDI-compatible instrument (See figure 
1). Each synthesizer in the system can be 
programmed to play a different instru- 
ment, that plays a single track of a multi- 
track musical composition. Various musi- 
cal parameters such as tempo, volume, 
pitdi, patches can also be controlled and 
changed via MIDI, 

Tbday a composer can hear musical 
compositions he has written without the 
need for other musicians hanging around 
waiting to play a piece or wasting costly 
studio time. 

History 

As early as the 1920's we have had elec- 
tronic music synthesizers. The first syn- 
thesizer was the Thermin. The Thermin 
was used in early productions of science 
fiction movies, due to the eerie sound ef- 
fects it is capable of pitducing. 

In the '60s and 70's the electronic mu- 
sic boom bqjan. It started as a trickle of 



by John [ovine 



ElO 




I III II in II MMi 

1 1 i I i ITT I riTFI Ti Mi 





add ons to standard instruments, such as 
fuzz boxes, reverbs and sustain units used 
on guitars. 

Oscillators generating tone frequencies 
were used as simple piano oi^ans. These 
basic synthesizers evolved into the Moog 
and ARP monophonic synthesizers. (Our 
computers have a decent sound synthesiz- 
er, the SID chip, that you can use to create 
your own sounds a la ADSR envelope.) 

The next development was polyphonic 
synthesizers that had the capability of 
generating more than a single note at 
once. At this plateau a number of compan- 
ies — Yamaha, Sequential Circuits, Ro- 
land, APR and others — began manufac- 
turing synthesizers. 

The next major advance in synthesizers 
added programmable memories. This al- 
lowed musicians to easily create pro- 
granuned sounds (patches) and store them 
in memoiy. Previous to this, keyboards 
had to be painstakingly hand wired with 
patch corc^ to create a particular sound. 
The patchcord setup resembled old-fash- 
ioned telephone switchboards on top of the 
keyboard. This is why In the early days of 
synthesizers people like Keith Emerson 
(of Emerson, Lake and Palmer) had ex- 
travagant keyboard arrangements on 
stage. But with the new pragrammabie 
memories, musicians had the flexibility to 
recall previously-programmed sound 
patches even during live performances. 

At this point companies also began add- 
ing interfacing devices to their synthesiz- 
ers so that musicians could layer synthe- 
sizers together to create music. 

Other companies began making se- 
quencers. Sequencers are devices that can 
record a performance and play it back. 

A problem arose at this point: connect- 
ing sequencers and synthesizers from dif- 



foront manufacturers didn't work. Each 
manufacturer had created its own protocol 
that worked only with systems it created. 

Enter MIDI 

In 1981 a meeting of the electronic syn- 
thesizer manufacturers was held, at the 
semi-annual National Association of Mu- 
sic Merchants (NAMM), The meeting was 
called to discuss the standardization for 
the transmitting and recei\Tng of musical 
information. The original proposal was 
called UM, for Universal Musical Inter- 
face. Many of the companies involved had 
already developed their own protocol. Be- 
cause of this there were a lot of delays, 
compromises and revisions before gener- 
ating a standard protocol, later to become 
known as "MIDI: Musical Instrument 
Digital Interface." (It appears that the 
word imiuersal in the original proposal 
may have invoked anti-trust suits against 
the manufacturers, so the name was 
dropped,) 

Finally in 1983 the first MIDI standard 
keyboanls came off the line. Fortunately, 
the developers of MIDI were farsighted 
enough to leave room in the new standard 
for subsequent improvements in technol- 
ogy and methodology. 'Ibday MIDI is still 
evolving and improving without destroy- 
ing the basic communications compatibil- 
ity for which it was created. 

Anatomy of the MIDI Signal 

The fiist thing we notice about a MIDI 
signal is that it appears to be a standard 
serial signal. A serial signal as we know 
needs only two conductor lines to commu- 
nicate. The second observation is on the 
31,250 Baud +I-Wc (hits per second) rate 
used by MIDI. Compare this to your stan- 
dard 3(X) or 1200 baud modem, and you 



48 MARCH 1989 



Projects/Building a MIDI Device 

have an idea or how quickly you can 
transmit bytes. 

Let's examine the serial signal. Looking 
at figure 2 we can see that the signal 
transmits bits (binaiy ones and zeroes) 
like a standard serial line. But upon closer 
examination there is a very significant 
difference. 

Computers use standard TYL logic sig- 
nals. A + 5 volt represents a binary "1" 
and volts represent binary "0". With 
MIDI, however, we do not use voltage to 
determine the binaiy state of the line, we 
use current. In addition, the signaHng is 
the exact opposite. In other words, "cur- 
rent off' equals a binary- "1", and "current 
on" equals a binaiy "0". 

Anatomy of the MIDI Bytes 

Eight bits to a byte, well that hasn't 



changed. MIDI uses two types of bytes- 
Status byte and Data byte. As we know 
(or as we should) a byte can contain any 
single numeric value between and 255, 
MIDI however breaks up the byte into 
small groups of bits, then assigns a par- 
ticular function to the bit groups, Tb clear 
this up before it becomes confusing, let's 
analyze the first byte in a MIDI message 
called the Status byte (See figure 3). 

The Status byte is broken into three 
groups. Each of these groups are to be 
looked at as a single number The first 
group consists of a single bit, bit number 
7. Group 1 has two possible values — 1 or 
0. The second group consists of three bits, 
bits numbers 6, 5 and 4, Group 2 has eight 
possible values (0 through 7). The third 
group comprises the four remaining bits 
numbers 3, 2, 1 and 0. Group 3 has 16 pos- 
sible values (0 through 15). 



This is how MIDI interprets the data: 

Byte #1 Status Byte 

Bit# [7][6][5][4I31[2][l]r01 

Binaiy 10 10 1 
Value I 

Indicates Status Byte 

If the most significant bit (number 7) 
has a value of "1", MIDI determinM that 
the byte is a status byte. When MIDI sees 
this binary "1" in bit number 7 position, it 
knows it is reading a status byte rather 
than a data byte. 

The second group of bits— bits 6, 5 and 
4— specifies the kind of message the sta- 
tus byte is transmitting, such as note on, 
note off, patch change, etc. 

The third group of bits— bits 3, 2, 1 and 
0— can represent different kinds of infor- 
mation, depending upon what the second 



Figure 1. MIDI Serial Signal 



5 Mo. 



Mo, 



"ary 



T 



Rise and fall time less than 2 microseconds 



Figure 2. Anatomy of a MIDI Status Byte 




Figure 3, 



B;t tt 



7 6 5 4 3 2 10 



3 



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C/J Q. 

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5€ 



MIDI Interface Program 

15 POKE 55579,255: POKE 56577, O'CRTG 
20 C=12S<-16:D = 64:E = 128:F=0 

:J=56577'GAHH 
25 READ A,a'BDDE 

30 IF A=-l THEN RESTOBElGOTO SS'GFLtl 
3S POKE J,C!POKE J,A:POKE J,D'DLXI 
40 FOR G=l TO B:NEXT'EEBD 
45 POKE J,E:POKE J,A:POKE J.F'DLCJ 
50 GOTO 25 'BCOU 
55 PRINT"ERROR" 'QAOI 
60 DATA 12,175,46,175,43,175,50,175, 

52, 175,54, 175, -1,-1'BHDL 
fi5 GET KS:IF K$=""THEN 65'EHIE, 
70 PRINT 1:G0T0 20'CENE 

— << END >>— 



Figure 4. 



IH OUT TMBU 



m DUr THRU 



W our THRU 



Daisy Chained MIDI Compatible Instruments 




Figure 5. MIDI Schematic 



Figure 6. MIDI Cable 





Use 5 Pin DIN Plugs 

Use 2 Good Shielded wire 
(see parts list) 

Cable lengtti less than 25 feet 



Continued on page 94 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 49 





NCERS 

for the Amiga 



by Steve King 



The Amiga has turned out to be an in- 
ct^ibly versatile computer. Its pro- 
cessing speed, power and built-in four- 
voice sound capabilities make it ideal for 
musical applications— particularly in the 
area of musical instrument recording. 
However, this capability would not exist 
without the MIDI protocol Simply speak- 
ing, MIDI (which is an acronym for Musi- 
cal Instrument Digital Interface) is a spe- 
cial language which permits computers 
and MIDI-compatible musical instru- 
ments such as keyboards to communicate 
with each other through a simple hard- 
ware devire plugged into the serial port of 
the Amiga, For the remainder of this arti- 

50 MARCH 1989 



de, I will refer to a musical keyboard as a 
"synthesizer" to avoid ainfusion between 
it and the computer keyboard. There are 
sbcteen separate MIDI channels which for 
all practical purposes can transmit or re- 
ceive data simultaneously. 

When a synthesizer is connected to the 
computer, the computer is capable of de- 
tecting which noUiS are being played and 
their duration. More sophisticated synthe- 
sizers can transmit other information 
such as the pressure being applied to the 
keys, pitch wheel operation and after- 
touch. Conversely, a computer can send 
MIDI information to a synthesizer. In this 
mode, the computer can actually play the 



synthesizer and even change instruments, 
or voic^, during the rendition. For exam- 
ple, a computer program can send a bass 
line stair of music to a synthesizer on 
MIDI channel 1 and a melody staff on 
MIDI channel 2. The program can also in- 
struct the synthesizer to pky a bass gui- 
tar voice on MIDI channel 1 and a piano 
voice on MIDI channel 2 (assuming that 
the sjmthesizer has these sounds and is 
multi-tibral, or capable of playing differ- 
ent sounds simultaneously). When the 
playback mode of the program is started, 
the synthesizer will play both the bass 
and the melody at the same time. 



The Amiga has the proces- 
sing speed, power and 
buiit-in four-voice sound 
capabilities that mal<e it 
tdeai for musical applica- 
tions — particularly in the 
area of MIDI musical instru- 
ment recording. With a typ- 
ical simple MIDI interface 
for about $50, and a MIDI- 
compatible synthesizer for 
less than $18Q, your Amiga 
is ready to become a 
desktop recording studio. 
All that is still required Is 
the software to integrate 
these components. Such 
software, known as a 
"sequencer," acts like a 
very sophisticated elec- 
tronic tape recorder, re- 
cording what you play on 
the synthesizer and storing 
that Information in the 
computer's memory or on 
disk. Here is a comprehen- 
sive overview of the 
sequencers currently on the 
market for the Amiga as 
well as a feature-by- 
feature compari- 
son of the five 
most popular 
packages. 





C- 




^% 



•i: 





Believe it or not, MIDI is not an expen- 
sive proposition. A typical simple MIDI 
interface costs about $50, and MIDI-com- 
patible synthesizers can be purchased for 
less than $180. For this article 1 used the 
new Yamaha PSS-480 which can play 12 
notes simultaneously. If controlled by the 
Amiga, any 12 of its 100 different voices 
can be played at any one time. I also used 
Datel Computer's MIDI interface which 
accepts as an input device one MIDI-com- 
patible synthesizer but has outputs to con- 
trol three separate device. Other more 
expensive MIDI' interface have pass- 
through connections, so you can canned 
other serial devices (such as modems and 
printers) to the interface and use them 
without constantly haipdng to switch con- 
nectors. 

With computer, synthesizer and MIDI 
interface in hand, all that is required is 
software to integrate them. Such software 
is known generically as a "sequencer." A 
sequencer is a veiy sophisticated electron- 
ic tape recorder which records what you 
play on the synthesizer and stores that in- 
formation in the computer's memory or on 
disk. Unlike a normjil tape recorder, how- 
ever, onoe you have recorded a musical 

Atypical simple MIDI 
interface costs about $50, 
and MIDI-compatible 
synthesizers can be 
purchased for less than 
$180. 



± 



i 



^ 



passage, you can go back and change indi- 
vidual notes because they are "recorded" 
as numbers and not sounds. 

Moreover, you can record several differ- 
ent passages and then combine them in 
any order to produce an entire song. For 
example, if you were recording a three- 
minute song on a normal tape deck, you 
would have to play several identical 
verses and choruses for three mimit^— 
and keep doing it over and over until you 
got it right! With a sequencer, you can re- 
cord the verse and chorus just once, make 
corrections on the computer and finally 
combine the verse and chorus into a song 
merely by instructing the program to re- 
peat the verse passage twice, then the cho- 
rus, then the verse agam and finally the 
chorus. Needless to say, this process (re- 



cord, edit and combine) not only saves 
time but also produces a flawless perfor- 
mance. 

There are a number of sequencer pro- 
grams on the market, ranging from the 

The more tracks a sequencer 
has, the more parts and 
instrumentation you can 
record for each song. 



W 



± 



^ 



5 



very simple for the hobbyist to the highly 
complex, powerful and expensive for the 
professional musician or recording studio. 
I will first discuss the important features 
to look for in any sequencer and then re- 
view and compare the capabilities of the 
different sequencer programs to give you 
a better understanding and feel for which 
would be best for your particular applica- 
tion. 

Recording on a Sequencer 

There are basically two methods of re- 
cording on a sequencer. The first (and 
most common) is single-track recording. 
In this mode, you activate one of the se- 
quencer's tracks, or channels, start it run- 
ning and play your synthesizer. Every- 
thing you play is fed into the sequencer on 
a single MIDI channel which can then be 
playai back. You then proceed to record 
additional music on other tracks which 
are all synchronized. The simplest exam- 
ple is recording a bass line on track one, 
chords on track two, a melody line on 
track three and instrument orchestration 
on track four. The more tracks a sequenc- 
er has, the more parts and instrumenta- 
tion you can record for each song. Al- 
though there are only 16 MIDI channels, 
professional tape equipment can have 
more than 16 tracks and can utilize the 
additional sequencer tracks. 

Single-track recording is not often use- 
ful with MIDI instruments which ou^ut 
on several MIDI channels simultaneously 
{the upper haff of a keyboard on Channel 
1 and the lower half on Channel 2). For 
this type of recording, you will need a se- 
quencer which initially accepts input fiom 
more than one channel. This feature is 
particularly usefiil for the musician who 
wants to record auto-accompaniment pat- 
terns (bass, rhythm, chords and orchestra- 
tion) available on many of the home syn- 



thesizers which output on up to six differ- 
ent channels simultaneously. 

Another important feature in recording 
is the abihty to shift the timing of each of 
the tracks. In this not-so-perfect world, the 
odds are that one or more of the tracks 
you are recording wiU not start at precise- 
ly the same time as the others and will 
end up out of sync. Rather than constantly 
re-rea)rding to "get it right," a commorJy- 
available feature lets you shift a track for- 
ward or backwards to line it up with the 
others. 

'T^mch In and Punch (}ut," simply 
speaking, is a method of recording over a 
previously-recorded segment of an exist- 
ing track. If, for instance, you recorded an 
eight-measure melody line and made a 
mistake in the third measure, you can 
Punch In at the beginning of the third 
measure and Punch Out at the end of that 
measure, and the sequencer will replace 
the previously-recorded third measure 
with the new notes you play. Tb be usefiil, 
this feature must allow you to easily find 
the exact place in your score to Punch In 
and Punch Out. 

MIDI filtering is also a valuable tool- 
especially if you have limited memory. 
You will recall that MIDI data is not sim- 
ply notes, but also information about key 
pressure, aftertouch and pitch wheel oper- 
ation. These latter events consume tre- 
mendous amounts of memory which de- 
crease the amount of space left for your 
song. If you don't need this information, it 
is best to filter it out in real time while 
you are recording. Most sequencers have 
an option that lets you specify which 
MIDI data you do or don't want to capture, 
although some eliminate the unwanted 
data as a post-recording editing function. 

Another necessity is a Lead-in function 
which simply provides a four-beat metro- 
nome click prior to actually recording. 

Step-time recording is useful 
for complicated patterns 
where you can't play the 
synthesizer fast enough to 
achieve your desired effect. 



m 



? 




Without this, it becomes extremely diffi- 
cult to know when to start accompanying 
the previously-recorded track if subse- 
quent tracks are to start at the beginning 



52 MARCH 1989 



of the sequence. Some sequencers also 
provide a continuous metronome beat 
throughout your recording session. 

Finally, some of the sequencers support 
step-time recording. This mode lets you 
step through a measure note by note, usu- 
ally by pressing keys on the computer 
keyboard. At each specified timing point 

The data that the sequencer 
displays is not in graphic 
notation fornn on a staff, but 
in a row of letters and 
numbers. 



? 



g 



y t -i f 



you can insert a note. This is useful for 
complicated patterns where you may not 
be able to play the synthesizer fast 
enough to achieve your desired effect. 

Editing WTtat You Have 
Recorded 

Once you have recorded all of the parts 
of your song (including multiple tracks of 
the same part so you can select the best), 
you will probably want to edit the sections 
before you actually a>mbine them into a 
completed song. The sequencer should 
have a feature which lets you examine 
and change each of the MIDI events that 
comes into the computer, so that you can 
change both the pitch and duration of an 
individual note. It should also let you in- 
sert Program Change events which, for 
example, tell the synthesizer to start play- 
ing the notes with a different instrument 
voice. 

Unfortunately, the data that the se- 
quencer displays is not in graphic nota- 
tion form on a staff, but in a row of letters 
and numbers for each occurrence. The fol- 
lowing line is typical of a MIDI event dis- 
play; 
1:00.00 6 Pgm 

1:01.00 C 5 64 Ntn 
1:01.11 C 5 Ntf 

IVanslated, the above notation means 
that at the beginning of the very fuTst 
beat, a Program Change event was sent to 
the synthesizer telling it to play the notes 
that follow with preset voice number sue, 
The next two entries indicate that the 
note "C" in the fifth octave was pressed at 
the beginning of the first measure with a 
velocity of 64 and released on the eleventh 



clock subbeat of the same measure. Since 
there are normally 24 MIDI subbeats per 
quarter note (ranging firam to 23), half of 
a quarter note (or an eighth note) was 
played. The first event was manually en- 
tered in the edit section of the sequenrer 
while the latter two events represent 
musical data fi:T)m the synthesizer. 

Needless to say, the inability of se- 
quencers to display notes in standard 
musital notation makes editing extreme- 
ly difficult and time consuming, and each 
program has its own method of displaying 
MIDI data events, lb edit the MIDI data, 
you must first find the specific event and 
then manually edit the line to make the 
appropriate change. And in most cases, if 
you add a new note, at some point you will 
have to insert an appropriate event to 
turn that note off. Also, all sequen{»rs 
should have conmnands to copy, delete and 
move blocks of MIDI data. 

Another extremely important feature is 
Quantization, or Auto-Correction. As the 
resolution of sequencers is so great, the se- 
quencer will actually record the note to 
tire nearest l/i92nd of a beat (and some- 
times smaller). Thus, what you may think 
is a quarter note may actually be picked 
up as a 49/192nd note. Close, but no cigar. 
While the difference is audibly meaning- 
less, try using a program that takes your 
song and prints it as sheet music. Have 
you ever seen a graphic notation for a 
49/192nd note? There is, however, a sim- 
ple way to solve the problem. After you 

Quantization, or Auto- 
Correction allows you to tell 
the sequencer to go back 
over all the notes and round 
them off to some sensible 
value. 




^^ 



have recorded your tracks, simply tell the 
sequencer to go back over all the notes 
and round them off to some sensible value 
(such a sbrteenth or eighth note). In fact, 
some sequencers will even do the auto-cor- 
rection as you are playing in real time. In 
some of the sequencers, while the note will 
still remain a 49/192nd note, the begin- 
ning of the note will be moved to a round- 
ed note value position. 
Another useful feature to have is TVack 



Merge. This feature will take all the notes 
on several user-specified tracks and com- 
bine them into one track. For example, 
you can play the same eight-measure 
musical passage three times— once on 
track one, then on track two and finally 
on track three. In the edit mode, delete 
those portions of each track which are not 
to your liking (making sure that you have 
left at least one segment for each portion). 
What remains is the best of each take 
spread over three different tracks. Now by 
merging the three tracks, you'll end up 
with one track representing the best of 
them all. 

Other tools usually available on all se- 
quencers allow you to transptse the pitch 
of any pattern, track or portion of one as 

All of the sequencers will 
play through external devices 
such as synthesizers, but 
only a few will use the 
internal Amiga voices. 



^sg 



well as set the tempo of tracks or even 
specified parts of them. 

Putting It All Together 

Once you are satisfied with all your lit- 
tle sequences, you must combine them in 
some logical fashion to come up with your 
final creation — a hit song, of course. Obvi- 
ously, all sequencers will aoDomplish this 
vital task, but some do it more easily than 
others. Stnre each pattern or sequence of 
your song will probably contain several 
parallel tracks (for bass, rhythm, chords, 
melody, etc.), the important point is the 
ease in rombining all of the segments at 
one time. Some sequencers will link speci- 
fied tracks to one sequence (which makes 
creating your song simple) while others 
may require you to link your melody se- 
quences, then the bass, then the chords 
and so forth. This is called doing it the 
hard way. 

When your song has been patched to- 
gether, it's time to hear it. All of the se- 
quencers will play the notes through ex- 
ternal devices such as drum machines and 
synthesizers, but only a few will use the 
internal Amiga voices and digitized in- 
strument sounds. This feature is great for 
Continued on page 96 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 53 



In the last three years, my grow- 
ing computer systems have not 
only paid for themselves but have 
also pumped extra funds into 
the budget Perhaps the only 
difference between us is I play 
with computers and get paid for 
it, while you may still be paying 
to play. With that in mind, I've 
collected some money*making 
ideas you might want to try with 
your computer. Tm sure one or 
more could be adapted to match 
your particular situation, 
experience and time constraints. 
With a litUe planning and work 
you can convert your hobby 
computer into a money maker 
instead of a bank account buster. 



MNHGIT 



m 



by Gary V. Fields 



A single financial rule governs all my 
hardware and software purchases: 
each item can only be bought with money 
generated by my computers. As you 
might guess, this rule was not my idea. It 
was conceived, enacted and religiously en- 
forced by my wife. She first became 
alarmed when she noticed more of the 
household budget was going into software 
and hai-dware purchases than mortgage 
payments. 

But it was the death of our 15-year-old 
washing machine which sparked the pas- 
sage of her fiscal rraponsibility doctrine. 
When the unfaithfiil old thing popped its 
last gasket my wife discovered our "emer- 
gency" money had evaporated about the 
same time I purchased my third 1541 
drive. She was not happy with rae. At the 
time, I thought she was being a bit narrow 
minded (not to mention autocratic)— after 
all, which is more important, laundry or 
another disk drive? But looking back, I 
must admit a roof over our liead and clean 
underwear is probably more important 
than things like dual drives and 80-col- 
iinm displays. 

When the demise of our washing ma- 
chine brought our financial problems to a 
head, I had but two options; (1) I could .;;.■ 
either restrict my computer-related pur- ■ '■■' 
chases or (2) find a way to make my 
computers pay for themselves, ThankfiiUy, 
Tve been able to do the latter 

Ibday, the payback potential of every 
m^or purchase (for us that means any- 

54 MARCH 1989 



^' 



creuvu.:tc> li oi^ys'^-x^:?^ 



'^ 



H^' 

r 




tiling over S30!) is considered before the 
item is bought. And in Uhe last three 
years, my growing computer systems 
have not only paid for Uvemselves but 
have pumped extra fimds into the budget. 
Now all of our leisure expenditures (every- 
thing from vacations to the beach, to din- 
nere for two) are financed with "computer 
money." I suspect most of us are much 
alike — we enjoy computers, love to try 
new or different software programs and 
get a thriU watching a photon-charged 
screen being updated. Perhaps the only 
difference between us is I play with com- 
puters and get paid for it, while you may 
still be paying to play. 

With that in mind, Tve collected some 
money-making ideas you might want to 
try with your computer. Fm sure one or 
more coidd be adapted to match your par- 
ticular situation, experience and time con- 
straints. With a little planning and work 
you can convert your hobby computer into 
a money maker instead of a bank account 
buster. 

First you have to evaluate your situa- 
tion. What are your interests, and how 
much time are you willing to contribute to 
making money with your computer? Few 
people are going to pay you to play games 
(unless you are beta testing software), but 
if you can use your computer to make 
their life easier, save them money or time, 
or help them deliver their products, they 
will welcome you with open arms and wal- 
lets. Unlike traditional tools, computers 
can be used for thousands of different jobs, 
providing you have the know-how and 
software required. Before you start you 
must identify your saleable skills and 
knowledge — are you more fluent in a com- 
puter language, databases, word process- 
ing or are you a pixel artist? And remem- 
ber, just owning and feeling comfortable 
around computers may open some doors 
for you. 

Programming 

■■ /' -Beiiig ^ble to program your computer is 
not a prereqdisite to using it for profit, but 
if you are fluent in any computer lan- 
guage your options are multiplied, I am 
far from qualifying as a professional pro- 
grammer, but small business ownei^ ap- 
proach me periodically to write specific ap- 
plications software for them. The first job I 
did was for a general contractor who want- 
ed a simple database designed specifically 
for his company's payroll, inventory and 
tax requirements. For such applications, 
straight BASIC pragrams are sufficient. 
Writing and debugging the program took , 
four weeks of my spare time. I not only got 




paid by the contractor, but have also been 
able to adjust the program to suit the 
needs of other small business and have 
sold the altered program several times. 
The trick is to get the first business owner 
to trust you to program for his or her com- 
pany Once you've proven yourself, other 
contracts come easy— one business owner 
refers you to another and that one to an- 
other, etc. 

More than a few high school and aAlegs 
students pick up more than pocket change 
(not to mention experience) by working 
after school with small to medium sized 
companies tailoring their computer sys- 
tem. Many commercial software develop- 
ers got their start by working for small 
and medium sized companies streamlin- 
ing their system's software while still in 
school. If you enjoy using your Siystem for 
business applications, talk with the busi- 
ness owners you know. You will be sur- 
prised how many would pay to have a 
"hacker" around to clear the haze sur- 
rounding c»mputer 
terms, software and 
hardware as well solve 
system errors. 

Business Applications 

Almost all small business 
owners recognize computers as 
useful tools. But very often these 
people have neither the desire 
a computer siystem for their com- 
pany, nor time to research, purchase 
and install even though they know they 
need to modernize to compete. And when 
they do buy a system, they often ifesent 
the cost and time required 
to train their employees 
to master it (the 9 to 5 
computer experts who 
do the training cost big 
bucks). This is where you 
come in. Most business 
applications fall into three 



^ 
S 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 55 




categories — word pTOcessing, data 
base management and spreadsheet' 
applications. If you are comfortable with 
any of these type programs, you have a 
marketable skill Many smaU business 
owners will be wiUing to hire you to 
train their personnel in your spare time 
(providing you charge less than those 9 to 
5 guys). Or if the company is very small 
you might be able to manage their data- 
base, or word processing chores yourself— 
either in their office or in your own home 
at night or weekends. 

Stocks and Bonds 

If you know anytliing about the stock 
market, you probably know people who in- 
vest there. Because there are specialty 
software and information services (like 
OimpuServe) available to help investors 
keep track of specific stocks, bonds and 
mutual fimds, you and your computer 
could collect vital information for those in- 
vestors. Chances are there are a dozen or 
so people on your side of town who would 
be willing to pay you a retainer fee (or pay 
you commissions) for keeping daily track 
of the stocks they follow. 

Digitizing for Dollars 

If you are artistic, here are two ideas 
which you might try. When my wife gets 
her hair styled it never quite matches 
what she had envisioned. But using a di- 
gitizer (either Digital Vision's Computer- 



eyes for the 64 or NewTfek's Digi-View for 
the Amiga), a pixel artist could capture 
her face on screen and then manually 
sketch and correct the desired hairdo until 
she is happy Then, instead of the beauti- 
cian having to rely upon her verbal de- 
scription they could see exactly how she 
expected her hair to look when she walked 
out of their shop. 

The same hardware and software could 
be used by home owners or contractors de- 
ciding what changes to make when either 
building or remodeling a house. A digi- 
tized image of a kitchen could be recreated 
to show exactly how the changes would 
look. Or if you are building a new home, 
an architect's sketches could be overlayed 
on a digitized photo of the property you in- 
tended to build, so you would know exact- 
ly what to expect when the last shingle is 
hammered into place. Fm sure you can 
think of other appUcations for digitized 
images for which people would be willing 
to pay, but these are the first t\vo that 
came to mind. 

Word Proc^sing 

I suspect more money has been made 
using a word processor than on any other 
software. If you go to any college's student 
hall you will see a bulletin board with no- 
tices offering to type term papers, reports, 
etc. for a f^. If you are a decent typist and 
own a good quality printer, this could be 
your meal ticket. Just leave your own no- 
tice on these boards, do the work and col- 
lect a check — what could be easier? 

lyping resumes and cover letters for 
people trying to change jobs can help your 
system pay for itself too. All you need to 
get started is a short ad in your local 
newspaper's classified section. Any good 
book store or library carries books giving 



good examples of what to include in a re- 
sume. If you decide to go this route, I'd ad- 
vise you to buy one. Being able to help the 
client decide what to say (or not to say) in 
a resume will help them get the job and 
you to get referral work. After you've done 
a couple dozen resumes, youll be able to 
minimize the typing chore of new clients 
by simply recalling older resumes and 
changing or adding only where vital infor- 
mation differs. 

Tax Money 

Who doesn't have to pay taxes? Most of 
us, after trying to decipher the "simpli- 
fied" forms turn to an accountant or tax 
service for help. The accountant I use 
charges by the hour — so the longer it 
takes to prepare my tax forms, the more it 
costs me. I cut these charges by organiz- 
ing my tax information before I take it to 
her. I suspect most people would gladly 
pay someone else to help them cut this 
cost. 

With your computer and a simple data 
base (or my "Ikx Records 128" program 
which appeared in the Mareh 1988 issue 
oWommodore Magazine) you can not 
only cut your own tax preparation cost but 
also make some money cutting the cost for 
others. It would be seasonable work, but 
as sure as April follows March, the work 
would be there year after year. 

If you are familiar vrith the tax laws, 
you might even want to prepare tax re- 
turns for others, rather than just organize 
their paper work. There are good tax prep- 
aration software packages for each of the 
Commodore systems. Ilie one I am most 
familiar with is call Swiftax and is mar- 
keted by Timeworks. Like all the other 
programs it is updated each year to reflect 
the newest tax laws. 

Teaching 

You might be surprised how much com- 
puter knowledge you have which others 
would be willing to pay to learn. You could 
run a small "piano-teaching"-type busi- 
ness in your own home. First, run a classi- 
fied ad in the local newspaper or s^e 
shopper (in the latter, personal ads are 
usually free) stating that you are offering 
ojmputer literacy classes in your home 
and list your phone number for reserva- 



56 MARCH 1989 



tions. Then schedule dasses when they 
are most convenient for you. But be pre- 
pared to teach— not play games. Most of 
your clients will be interested in learning 
to program or how to master their produc- 
tivity software. 

Publishing and Visuals 

Because Commodore computers excel 
in graphic abilities, they are perfect for 
creating visual aides, graphs or slides for 
business presentations. Lots of companies 
need graphics created for annual reports, 
sales seminars, promotions, in-house 
newsletters, etc. Again, the bigger com- 
panies will have in-house departments to 
create these, but the smaller businesses 
have neither the staff nor the time to do 
these, although they might like to. Tkke 
an example of the type of visuals (slides, 
printed, videos) you could supply them 
and make them an offer. Again, once you 
have your foot inside the door, this type of 
service has the potential to grow into a 
healthy part-time business vrith little ex- 
pense on your part. 

How I Made It Pay 

We all deserve to get lucky once or twire 
in a lifetime. My lucky streak started 
about a year after I bought my first 64. 
My entire background is in the pubiishing 
industry, my degree is in journalism, and 
my nine-to-five job is with the local news- 
paper. So it was only natural that as I be- 
came more and more involved with com- 
puters I would want to write about them. 
By the same token it was easier to sell edi- 
tors on my story ideas and reviews be- 
cause I was already in the pubHshing in- 
dustry. As a result, what began as a hobby 
has developed into a steady part-time job. 
But before I be^n writing about com- 
puters I learned how to program my 64. 1 
spent a lot of time and more than a few 
dollars buying magazines and duplicating 
program listings and then playing with 
the code to see what effect changes would 
make. Eventually, I felt some of my pro- 
grams were good enough to offer for publi- 
cation. That's how I got my foot into the 
paying side of the computer industry. But 
if I had beheved in omens my efforts for 
program would have ended right there. 
The fii^t publication to buy a program 
from me (Creative Computing), paid me 
and promptly ceased to publish. Yes, they 
went out of business. So the first program 
to earn me a ch«:k never appeared in 
print — but at least I had proof someone 
was willing to pay for my "hobby." (Even 



Because the software market has re- 
leased quality video titler programs for 
both the 64 and Amiga, creating custom 
video titles or training videos would be a 
natural money-making avenue to explores 
But before jumping in, you either need to 
know something about video development 
or be willing to spend some time learning. 
But with the rising number of personal 
camcorders, Fm sure there are people will- 
ing to spend some cash having .someone 
produce professional title screens and 
credits to give their creations a Hollywood 
look. Don't exclude businesses from your 
video creations either As businesses mod- 
ernize, they also develop a hunger for 
flashy, eye-catching business and annual 
reports. Using your computer and both 
video titlers or powerful graphic packages 
you can create that glitter for them. 

Realtors 

If you are a realtor, you might consider 
the advantages of using a digitized house 
listing compatible with a databases like 
Superbase Professional (Precision Soft- 

though I felt a little guilty about the mag- 
azine's demise, I promptly cashed the 
check anyway). 

Over the years, people keep 
asking me the same 
questions, which I have 
never seen ansv\/ered in any 
publication. So, here are 
the questions and one soft- 
ware reviewer's answers. 

Although I still enjoy programming 
(and find it more fim and challenging 
than any computer game), I know I have 
neither the talent, patience nor desire to 
go beyond what Fve already done. And 
unless I go beyond BASIC programming, 
I can make more money writing articles 
and reviewing other programmer's work. 
But having the ability to program makes 
me appreciate the efforts and abilities of 
those who do produce and market com- 
mercial software. And I think my expe- 
rience makes me a better reviewer 

Unlike most of the articles which ap- 
pear in this (or any pubhcation) this side- 
bar was not solicited. Normally Jim Gra- 
cely or Susan West, the magazine's edi- 
tors, and I decide what I will write about 
months before deadline. But this one is 



ware) or Microfiche Filer or Microfiche 
Filer Plus (Sofhvare Visions) on the 
Amiga. These programs allow the user to 
store and view digitized photos. Using 
them you txiuld quickly search and recall 
properties which meet the requirements of 
your client almost instantly. For instance, 
if your client were looking for a house 
costing less than $95,000, with two bed- 
rooms, family room and double garage on 
the east side of to\\Ti, all you'd have to do 
is define a sort according to that criteria. 
When a match was found, your client 
could view digitized photos of the interior 
and exterior of the house without stepping 
away fix)m your computer screen. Then 
rather than run all around town looking 
for just the right home, you and your cli- 
ent could concentrate on the homes which 
fit their requirements. 

ff you are not a realtor, chances are you 
could still sell this idea to one and earn ex- 
tra money maintaining the database and 
photo files for them. Rather than using di- 
gitized photographs to illustrate your Aa- 
Conlinued on page 100 

different— it is personal. I've been lucky 
enough to get paid to evaluate software or 
hardware for haff a dozen publications. 
And over those years, people keep asking 
me the same questions, which I have nev- 
er seen answered in any publication. So, 
here are the questions and one software 
reviewer's answers: 

The most often-asked question is; "Do 
editors tell you to say only good things 
about those products?" The honest truth is 
no. No editor I have ever worked for (and 
Fve been paid fay most of the editors of the 
major computer publications) has tried to 
influence my product reviews, nor has 
changed the content of what Fve written. 

Because Fve worked almost exclusively 
for Commodore Magazine for the past 
three years, some of the people Fve met at 
users groups have asked if I pull punches 
because the name Commodore appears on 
the cover of the magazine. The answer 
again is no. As one who has seen the oper- 
ation of the magazine first hand (I am not 
an employee— instead I work by contract), 
I am amazed at how little influence the 
parent company exerts on what the maga- 
zine says or covers. 

The editors have only placed three re- 
strictions on what I write: (1) I have to be 
honest, (2) I must cover all the important 
details of a product (the magazine sup- 
pUes reviewers with a written guideline to 
follow), and (3) I should try to comply with 
Continued on page 102 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 57 



OF THE 



Impressions 

World of 
Commodore 



by Russ Ceccola 

My assignment was simple: 
investigate a gathering of a myriad 
self-proclaimed Commodore 
"computerpfiiles" in Philadelpfiia 
on tfie first weekend of November. 
It was the first time I fiad been 
assigned to such a case, and I took 
no chances. I holstered my service 
revolver, donned my trench coat and 
fedora and headed toward the 
Philadelphia Civic Center for the first 
World of Commodore Show in the 
United States. 

■ he suspects were in large numbei's 
" and grouped in tiny booths, selling 
and buying wares — no doubt illegal mer- 
chandise. I sneaked through the doorway 
and picked up a show guide that detailed 
the proceedings of the weekend. Keeping 
to the shadows was tough, biside the foyer 
I decided to go undercover; I removed my 
coat and hat and stood in the light, perus- 
ing my show guide for any obvious signs 
of illegal sales. 

W3i scheduled meeting times and 
places spelled out in front of my eyes, I 
thought I had stumbled upon the bust of 
the decade. I decided to call for reinforce- 
ments. But before I risked using the 
phone, I took a peek inside the doorway to 
see what I was up against. Walking into 
the light inside the door , . , 
... I was struck with an awesome sight— 
The World of Commodore in Philadelphia. 
Think this is True Detective or sometliing? 
No way! This is Commodore Magazine, 
and the exciting events Fm about to de- 
scribe took place at the first-ever U.S. 
World of Commodore. 



World of Commodore was bom in Can- 
ada, and for the past sk years has enjoyed 
much success as an annual Tbronto-based 
extravaganza. In fact, World of Commo- 
dore is the largest annual computer show 
held in Canada. But now the show is on 
the road— first in Philadelphia, and from 
May 19-21, 1989, at the Los Angeles Con- 
vention Center. 

My real assignment was to make obser- 
vations of the show, for the November 
showcase was the first Commodore show I 



had ever attended. After spending a cou- 
ple of days in the exhibit hall, two things 
became obvious: World of Commodore 
means two things— a celebration of the 
computers that we have come to know and 
love and on which we spend our hard- 
earned money and a capitalization on the 
power of the Commodore computers by 
various software designers and compan- 
ies. Let me describe each idea separately, 
so you will know what to expect upon your 
arrival at a Commodore show. 



impressions 
from the inside 




Hlagaiine booth. 



58 MARCH 1989 



When I first walked in the door at the 
Philadelphia Ci™ Center, three things 
came into view. They were a booth with di- 
rector's chairs and continuous showings of 
old Honeymooners episodes, a giant bal- 
loon with the excellence! word processor's 
logo and a giant Commodore tower, ni get 
to these later. For now, let me justify what 
I said about the convention being a "cele- 
bration." As we all know (because we buy 
this magazine and own Commodore com- 
puters), our Commodore machines are 
powerful tools for productivity, creativity 
and fim, (And all Apple, Atari and IBM 
users can go wallow in mud!) Conunodore 
computers are easy to u^, have lots of 
software available, and have great graph- 
ics and sounds at reasonable prices. The 
possibilities for Commodore machines are 
endJ^s. I should know better than any- 
one, for those are the four reasons why I 
bought my Commodore 64 over three 
years ago and have since bought a Com- 
modore 128 and Amiga 500, 

The companies exhibiting at World of 
Conunodore share our enthusiasm for 
Commodore computers. These companies 
understand the incredible power per dol- 
lar of Conmiodore's computers and stop at 
nothing to make software for our ma- 



chines because of this power Just spend 
five or ten minutes with any Commodore 
computer and it's easy to be impressed. 
Impressing you was what all of the com- 
panies intended to do at this convention. 
This explains all of the exhibits, seminars 
and shows that took place during the con- 
vention. Let's talk about exhibits. 

Exhibitors at the show included softr 
ware companies, computer stores, soft- 
ware stores, publications (on paper and 
disk), user groups, hardware companies 
and—the company that started it all- 
Commodore Business Machines. [See box 
for a complete list of exhibitore.] Those 
Honeymooners episodes I mentioned were 
shown by First Row Software to preview 
their newest game based on The Honey- 
mooners. The balloon was part of Micro- 
Systems Software's exhibit set up to dem- 
onstrate their word processor, excellence! 
The bulk of the exhibitors were there to 
showcase their own personal triumphs in 
programming for Commodores, as well as 
to sell their products. A demonstration of 
a program to a potential customer with 
hands-on experience can be the deciding 
factor in whether to buy a product or not. 
At the same time, the buyer can instantly 
tell whether the product uses the power ly- 



ing dormant in the computer—whether 
the product makes the best use out of 
what is available. This is exactly the dual 
role of (slebration and capitalization at 
World of Commodore. 

Commodore Business Machines, Inc. 
themselves sponsored a huge exhibit un- 
der that tower I mentioned in the back of 
the hall. Under the tower were many 
Amigas, 128's, 64's and Commodore PC 
compatibles running programs of various 
types for the \'isitors to see. You could play 
games, examine word processors or 
spreadsheets, draw pictures, make sounds 
and do eveiything that is possible with 
Commodore computers, free for the mod- 
est price of admission ($10), of com^. 
Dozens of Commodore engineers and tech- 
nical support representatives were on 
hand to answer questions and put the ma- 
diines through their paces. 

The arcade at the back of the hall fea- 
tured a revolving selection of Commodore 
64 areade hits. Admission to the arcade 
(for a donation to Philadelphia's Chil- 
dren's Hospital) bought you a chance to 
play Skir Empire, Stealth Mission, Super 
Sunday, NBA, Silent Service, Up Peri- 
scope!, Microleague Wrestling and others, 




Suddenly an entity materializes. Quickly takmg on an appropriate 
human form and appearance. It takes a look a-o""/!. 
It rests for a moment, stabiliilng its aspect ratio, t^efore 
completing it's metamorphosis into. . .Power User. 



Thinking this is Kansas, PU loads a gray- scale palette, quietly 

exits the monitor and begins to walk,,. 

Into the now-gathering throngs of unsuspecting show attendees. 



Every now and then Fd go back to the ar- 
cade to escape the crowds — only to find 
tons of teenagers and little kida hogging 
the machines. Oh, well. 



I have never seen so much 
software for Commodore 
computers so drastically 
reduced. 

The show also celebrated Commodore 
computers with seminars and stage 
shows. A schedule of these mini-events 
was included in the show guide I picked 
up as I entered the exhibit hall. liie stage 
shows featured the major new products 
previewed and displayed at the show and 
took place on a stage in the back of the ex- 
hibit hall with assistance from a 35-inch 
Mitsubishi monitor (lovingly referred to 
by Conmiodore insiders as "big brother"). 
Most of the exhibitors had a stage show 
sometime during the weekend. The semi- 
nars were usefiil discussions that ranged 
from one to two hours. Because of time 
constraints, I saw only a couple of them, 
but I could see that the curious had their 
doubts removed and questions answered, 
and the seasoned Commodore pros (like 
myself) learned something new too. Semi- 
nar topics included: Commodore in Educa- 
tion, Amiga Music Made Easy, Tblecom- 
munications Clinic, Word Processing 
Clinic and Desktop Video. 

Commodore sponsored both a Commo- 
dore 64/128 Clinic and an Amiga Clinic. 
At the Amiga Chnic Gail Wellington 
(Commodore's General Manager, World- 
wide Software and Product Support) ex- 
plained why projects like AmigaDOS 1.3 
take longer than originally projected: 
'The first 90% of the project takes 90% of 
the time, and the last 10% of the project 
takes the other 90% of the time." Gail's re- 
turn to Commodore after an illness was 
celebrated during World of Commodore at 
a reception in her honor hosted by Bobby 
Koticic of the Disc Company 

As I said at the beginning ofthis article. 
The World of Commodore show serves a 
dual role as both a celebration and cap- 
italization on Conunodore computers. The 
exhibitors sell their merchandise, local 
software stores and mail-order companies 
clear their stock, hardware companies 
take trade-ins and make deals, and var- 
ious magazines and user groups accept 
subscriptions and memberships at re- 
duced rates. The important tWng to notice 
about all of these things is that incredible 



discounts are offered. I have never seen so 
much software for Conunodore computers 
so drastically reduced, hi the Commodore 
Store, some of the older Conunodore 64 
products (pnxiuced by Conmiodore) were 
marked down to two dollars. 

Other savings could be found around 
the hall as well. The software retailers 
and software publisher representatives 
constantly marked down their product to 
gamer sales. By the show's end, prices 
were a lot lower for various products 
around the exhibit hall. Remember: the 
last day of the show is the best if you're 
looking for a good deal. Regardless of 
what you wanted, you could find it at 
World of Commodore cheaper than you 
would at any store. 

Commodore's dealers kicked off the spe- 
cial Amiga 500 holiday offer during the 
show, lb promote the offer (buy an Amiga 
500 vrith 1084 monitor and special soft- 



ware bundle, get a free VCR), Commodore 
donated an Amiga 500 system (with VCR) 
to be raffled off in the Commodore Maga- 
zine booth. The lucky winner was Gil 
Sweigart of Akron, PA. 

You can see how the words celebration 
and capitalization go hand in hand at Uie 
World of Commodore, Although people 
did hope to make sales, all of the exhibi- 
tors were friendly and more interested in 
shov\ing me tlieir products than taking 
money &om my wallet. The general idea 
of the show was to let the products sell 
themselves. And that they did. Listening 
in on conversations, I noticed how people 
were impressed with certain products and 
the convention as a whole and wanted to 
see more. Most importantly, the visitors 
were happy that they had invested in 
Commodore machines. Aren't we all?! So, 
as I left the hall . . . 

I realized that I had stumbled upon the 



Exhibitors at 
The World of Commodore 
in Pluladelphia 



A-Squared Distribution, Inc, 

Abacus Software 

Actionsoft 

A/wy/Intemational, Inc. 

AM News Magazine 

ASDG, Inc. 

Avalon Hill Game Company 

Ax Productions 

BAUD User Group 

Bobco 

Berkeley Softworks 

Briwall 

Brown-Wagh Publishing Co., Inc. 

Burocare Graphic Design 

C & M Electric 

CW Communications 

Central Coast Software 

Chip Level Designs 

Commodore Business Machines, Inc. 

Commodore Magazine 

Comp-U-Save 

Compute! Publications 

Comspec Tbronto 

Creative Mian Designs 

Digital Creations 

Digitek Inc. 

Disks & Labels to Go 

Expert Services 

Firet Row Software 

Free Spirit Software 

Gold Disk, Inc. 

Golden Het^e, Inc. 

Great Valley Products, Inc. 



Haitex Resources 

Hands On Software, Inc. 

Hilside Hard & Soft Computerware 

Inforite Corporation 

Irwin Magnetics 

Jersey Amiga Users Group 

Kids Computer News 

Mercury Softwaj?e 

Michtron'Microdeal 

Micro League Sports 

MicraProse Software 

Micro-Systems Software 

Mindware International 

Momterm 

New Horizons Software 

NewTfek, Inc. 

New York Camera & Video 

Oxxi, Inc. 

Phil Amiga Usere Group 

PM Publications 

Pittsburgh Commodore Users Group 

Precision, Inc. 

Progressive Peripherals & Software 

Quantum Computer Services, Inc. 

Softdisk, Inc. 

Software Hut 

Software Support International 

Software Visions, Inc. 

Southeast Pennsylvania User Groups 

Sphit Technology Corp. 

SubLogic (!3orp. 

Supra Corp. 

The Guitar Connection 



60 MARCH 1989 



major find of my career. I quickly re- 
dr^sed in my mock-spys outfit, left the 
Civic Center and headed back to my un- 
marked car. I decided not to call in for re- 



inforcements and headed back to the pre- 
cinct, pretending ignorance of the conven- 
tion. After finishing up my work for the 
evening, I went home, I was proud of my 



investigative skilb, hut even more proud 
of my newly acquired toys— a Commodore 
Amiga 500 and a copy of Sex: Vixens From 
Space! EB 




fS^di^s a torn Walk" demo in the Baltimore Amiga Usefs and 
?*!_r^ .^^ .iHn/md««in,inately into the crowd and neutralizes it. 



Developer's booth firing indescriminately 




^^IJIZTkilldled spirit, Power User rtioves toward the NewTek> ^A 
iMoth and asks for Maxine Headroom. Alas, wrong resolution. — 





As Jim Gracely and Gordon Hunter are selecting the '"^k;; *'""". °Vk,^™^' 
500 Fast-Forward system, Power User boldly leaps into the spinning ba ot 
barrel A r^oment later PU surfaces, unharmed, holding the only correctly 
completed entry form. 



Power User spies a dtgi-beach, and wonders. . 



MODEL PHoroGFtAPm, DiGiriZMioJ*- wi'Shallm- Rosenthal 

Blf-KfiRniJNDPtiOIMRAPHV- CHAHlES BARIHOLOMEW 




Basking on the silicon beach in the raster's warm rays. Power User dreams of the 
next World of Commodore. 



TECHNOLOGY 



Looking 
Ahead 

Viruses, Worms and 
Trojan Horses 



This is the first in a scries of articles 
examining some of the more interest- 
ing aspects and future applications of 
computer technologj'. These concepts and 
ideas are presented not as speculation, but 
more as extrapolation from current tech- 
nology to take a look at the directions this 
technology might take. Some of these ex- 
trapolations may sound like science fic- 
tion, but we are entering the age where 
science fiction can become science fact in a 
very short time. 

When most of our fathers were young 
men, Fm sure they considered the concept 
of a man walking on tlie moon no more 
possible in their lifetimes than we consid- 
er travelling at the speed of light, yet it 
happened. Consider that that event first 
occurred before today's high school seniors 
were even bom! We live in an age where 
changes come fast. The database of know- 
ledge in electronics alone is doubling in 
size every two years. While the hardware 
advances seem to come fast, the speed of 
the advances in software state of the art is 
at least triple that speed. This series will 
examine some of these advances and take 
a peek at where they might be going. Your 
comments and input will be greatly appre- 
ciated as we begin . . . Looking Ahead. 

The newspapers and TV news have 
been alive with the late-breaking stories: 
"Virus Invades Defense Computer," 
"Worm Program Wipes out University's 
Records," and a whole bevy of others. Just 
the nam^ worm and virus, evoke 
stealthy, evil and destructive connota- 
tions. Yes, even your very own computer 
may be exposed to infection from a seem- 
ingly-innocent shareware program disk or 
down the phone line as you peruse your lo- 
cal BBS. 

There have never been adequate defini- 
tions for worms, viruses and other such 
stealthy pieces of code, but Bill Buckley, 
author of the first worm program, pub- 
lished in Scientific American May 1985, 
offers two that are as good as any: A worm 
is a piece of code that moves itself about in 
a computer's memory. A virus is a piece of 




code that attaches itself to some other pro- 
gram. Whether these programs replicate 
themselves or do something destructive is 
merely a characteristic of the program. 

There are other unwanted, destructive 
pieces of software out there as well. One 
example is the "Th)jan Horse," a program 
that purports to do one thing and does 
something entirely different. IVojan 
horses have been written to do such das- 
tardly things as reformat your hard disk. 

Viruses 

Tb date, the use of \i ruses has been 
limited to unscrupulous "vandals" hoping 
to make their mark on some unsuspecting 
user's system. Like street graffiti artists, 
they attain little more gratification than 
being able to brag about being the respon- 
sible party to their friends. 

The truth about most viruses is that 
they are fairly easy to detect. If they are 
indeed attached to imother program, a 
simple directory command from the DOS 
will reveal that the suspected infected pro- 
gram is larger than an uninfected version 
of the same program. Real problems, such 
as tho.se we've been seeing the past sever- 
al months, arise when the virus is en- 
dowed with the ability to reproduce. The 
vii-us happily goes about reproducing it- 
self, consuming more and more memoiy 
and spreading across a network of com- 
puters. Like its biological namesake, the 
virus can spread and infect every comput- 
er it comes across. This though, is also lit- 
tle more than a prank because by repro- 
ducing and growing, the virus becomes 
apparent as it coasumes gigabyte after gi- 
gabyte of available memory and computer 
user operations slow while the CPU strug- 
gles to service all of the ensuing activity. 

Viruses have been programmed to do a 



by Jeff Spira 



wide range of things. Some are totally be- 
nign and merely announce their presence 
oaasionally with a message on the screen. 
Others lock up the RAM of the machine 
by filling it with gibberish requiring a re- 
boot of the system. Still others attack and 
destroy or totally scramble disk files. Note 
that these are all overt acts designed to 
suddenly make the user painfully aware 
that his system is infected. Viruses may 
be programmed to begin their mischief on 
a certain date by morutoring the comput- 
er's clock. They may also kick into effect 
by an event of some sort, (for example, 
when the C:8 cell of your spreadsheet 
reads 38.40). You may go years and years 
before that particular event occurs, but 
once it does, the virus becomes active, and 
there goes your hard disk files or what- 
ever the virus was programmed to do. 

Worms 

The worm program, though is far more 
insidious than it's virus counterpart. The 
worm is to a virus as a secret agent is to 
an army A worm prognmi, by definition, 
is a pica; of software that is able to move 
about the RAil of a computer This con- 
cept was first outlined in John Brunner's 
science fiction book Shockwave Rider pub- 
lished in 1975. In this scenario, the hero 
writes a program that stealthily enters 
the government's supercomputer moves 
about without detection, and subtly alters 
his own records of existence. 

Such a worm has not yet been written, 
but even as you read this, strides are be- 
ing made in that direction. Serious pro- 
gramming efforts are being directed at a 
worm that is undetectable and can be pro- 
grammed to do a number of tasks. Be- 
cause a worm has the ability to move it- 
self, it can be designed to camouflage it- 
self by staying constantly on the move 
and avoiding areas of RAM in use. A de- 
bugging program can only look at one 
small area of RAM at a time. Looking 
through megabytes takes time. It's some- 
what akin to looking for a grasshopper on 
a football field using a microscope that 
can see orJy one square inch of grass at a 
time. Every time you get close to the 
grasshopper, it simply jumps to another 
location. Once it scans a cei"tain area of 
RAM, the worm simply isn't there — it has 
moved somewhere else, lb develop a worm 
with the abiUtj' to be undetected is not an 
overly easy task, but to develop one that 
C(mtiiuii:d on page 104 



62 MARCH 1989 



CREATIVE COURSEWARE" 



Arithmetic and 
Fractions 



Educational software that 
sustains a child's interest while 
teaching fundamental building- 
block concepts can Ik hard to 
find. We'll look at programs that 
do just that. 



Not everyone in Detroit owns a Chevy, 
likewise not everyone in Japan owns 
a computer. According to a report released 
by Japan's Computer Education Develop- 
ment Council, about half of the surveyed 
schools complained about a lack of com- 
puters and a shortage of high-quali^ edu- 
cational software. 

Halfway around the globe, the U.S. Of- 
fice of Tfechnology Assessment's report, 
'Tower On!," reports similar shortages in 
American schools. It's interesting to know 
we share at least one common bond with 
the Japanese educational system — inad- 
equate funding. 

Now on to this month's selections — for 
these who have computers. 

Piece of Cake Math 
Computer Commodore 64 
Ages: 7-13 
Price: $34.95 

Fraction Factory 
Computer: Commodore 64 
Ages: 8-14 
Price: $29.95 

Publisher: Springboard Software 
7808 Creekridge Eload 
Minneapolis, MN 55435 
(612) 944-3912 

Emphasis: Basic math skills employing 
integers and fractions. 

Both programs share similar qualities 
including progressive difficulty ("branch- 
ing"). Based on the student's accumulated 
performance, the challenge increases pro- 
portionally with the number of questions 
answered correctly. 

Just as the difficulty level is progres- 
sive, so are the levels of help. When the 



Piece of 
Cake Math 




by Howard Millman 



Piece of Cake Math and 

Fraction Factory 

automatically a(djust the 

difficulty level. 



student chooses a wrong answer, the sys- 
tem offers help in four stops — first oflbring 
clues and eventually concluding with the 
answer Since it doesn't concede an imme- ^ 
diate answer, students will find it less bur- 
densome to probe for the correct solution 
rather than entering a wrong number to 
indulge the program. I 

Both programs are slow loading, howev- 
er, once loaded they reside completely in | 
memory. Switching selections is fast and 
seamless. Tapping any of the four fijnction , 
keys moves from one segment to another I 
or exits the program. The initial main 
menus are either pictu«;s or words, CON- | 
TROLAV toggles between the two choices. 

These manuals, like all of Springboard's 
manuals are lucid and terse. 

Piece of Cake Math 

Springboard employs the concept of 
bakery products to emphasize math con- 
cepts. Each of the prognun's five segments 
emphasizes either the addition, subtrac- 
tion, multiplication or division of cakes. 
Actually, they more closely resemble pies, 
but that's only crucial to carbohydrate 
connoisseurs like me. The latter t\vo seg- 
ments, Flashcai-ds and Catchacake, em- 
phasize drill and practice as problems se- 
quentially flash onto the screen. All num- 
bers are positive whole integers. 

Catchacake offers the additional benefit 
of being either a single or multi-player 
game, 

Flashcards offers practice in addition, 
subtraction, multiplication or division 
with five u-ser-selected difficulty levels in 
each group ranging from Beginner to Su- I 
permiui. W^ile the program automatical- 
ly branches, the process can be acceler- I 
ated by entering CONTROUJ. 

Fraction Factory 

Fivcdoii Factoiy uses a similar ap- 



Fniction Factory 




proach except, of course, it deals only with 
fi'actions. And does it ever cover the topic. 

Its five segments touch on all aspects of 
dealing with fractionis. As with Piece of 
Cake Math, the program automatically 
adjusts the difficulty level. Fraction Fac- 
tory omits a user-selected difficultj' level. 

In Fractions and Sets, objects are 
aligned on the screen, the number of ob- 
jects varies from one problem to the next. 
A box is drawTi around some quantity of 
these objects. What part of the whole does 
the box enclose? Answers are expressed as 
firactions, the first number is automatical- 
ly the numerator, the second entry is the 
denominator. 

This contrasts to Fractions of a Number 
in which the student multiplies fractions 
(% is what part of 6?). Answers are whole 
numbers. 

Equivalent Fractions converts fi'actions 
from one denominator to another. Fre- 
quently this is a two-step process using an 
intermediate denominator (% equals /r). 

Adding and subtracting fractions like- 
wise requires converting to a common de- 
nominator to solve the question. On- 
screen displays graphically illustrate rela- 
tionships iDetween dissimilar denomina- 
tors %-'y,a). 

As has happened occasionally in the 
past, 1 really got myself snookered while 
testing the advanced fraction subtraction. 
And, as I rationalized then, so do 1 again: 
I'm temporarily a tad rusty at this stuff. 

Despite one of them somewhat con- 
founding me, Springboard has two keep- 
ers with these math programs. 

On a scale of ten they rate; 

Content: 8 

Enae of use: 8 

Error/Help feedback: 9 

Graphics and Audio: 6 

Manual's clarity and organization: 6 

Cunliiiiml on !Jai;c 105 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 63 



PUMPING GEOS 

Importiiig 
Bitmaps into 
geoPublish 

Berkeley Softworks' series of 
GEOSK:ompatible products opens 
up a world of opportunity to 
Commodore users. Take some 
tips from Mark Jordan and soon 
you too will be Pumping GEOS. 



"U ecently I received a letter finm a dis- 
.M^^runtled user q{ gecPublish, a Mr. J. 
Grove from Chicago, Illinois. His letter 
stated that he is "forever tired of hearing 
about the Svonderiiil' aspects of Berkeley's 
GEOS series of programs. Disk-swapping, 
waiting, keyboard crashes are among the 
features nobody ever talks about," He also 
stated, "geoPublish is an overly cumber- 
some, time-consuming, less-than-friendly 
program." 

I did not escape Mr. Grove's wrath: "I 
read his [my] article, hoping that I could 
find morsels of information that would 
make using geoPublish a less cumber- 
some task, but tliat wasn't the case." And 
"to print an article that suggests the user 
is going to jump right into desktop pub- 
lishing is misleading— if not downright 
deceptive." 

Mr. Grove's letter was valuable to me in 
spite of the fact that he indicted me in it. 
For one thing, it lets me know some of my 
readers' frustrations and helps me plan 
future columns. For another thing, this 
gives me an opportunity to outline my 
philosophy behind this column. Which, 
starting now, 1 shall do. 

My tiiesis: GEOS is a pnxluct that 
opens doors for eight-bit computer users. 
It is the best and only one of its kind, 'lb 
downgrade Berkeley for some of the in- 
herent weaknesjses of an eight-bit comput- 
er is akin to criticizing a high schooler 
who just set a state record in the mile be- 
cause his time was slower than the world 
record. GEOS is a good software value. 

One mast see GEOS in perepective. 
Anyone who has been involved in comput- 
ing for several years knows that graphics- 
oriented operating systems for all practi- 
cal purposes began with the Ivlacintosh. 
They also know that the Mac had a tough 
row to hoe, that "power users" ftiom the 




business fread "MS-DOS") crowd thought 
pointing at cute little pictiires with a 
mouse was absurd. And anyone who has 
stuck with computing knows that even 
that crowd is now trying to brag about its 
ability to use mice, do desktop publishing, 
work with windows and icoas. 

I state this to underline the import;mce 
of the graphic interface. Brian Doughterty 
(Berkeley's founder) saw this and decided 
to see if he could do it with an eight-bit 
machine, the Commodore 64. Here was a 
computer with a huge (the hugest) in- 
stalled base— why not "go graphic" with 
it? His task was not an easy one: he would 
be working with an old engine, the 6502, 
and with a notoriously slow disk operating 
system. He also was strapped with mem- 
ory constraints because, at the time, 64K 
was max on the Commodore 64. 

GEOS is the result and it absolutely 
works. It isn't as good as its brethren on 
the 16-bit machines, and it never will be. 
But nobody complains that a four-cylinder 
Tbyota tops out at 85 mph because nobody 
buys a Tbyota for racing. 

Not only does GEOS work, it continues 
to evolve, as the Beatles said, 'It's getting 
better all the time." Have you tried it with 
two disk drives? A wonderful improve- 
ment. Got an REU yet? Amazing results. 
Upgraded to 2.0? You better because it's 
worth every penny Recently I reported on 
a new package called ^eoCftart, This is 
just another sign that GEOS is growing 
bigger. Furthermore, in a recent phone 
conversation Mr, Dougherty hinted at 
wonderful things to come (like entertain- 
ment software, version 2.0 for the 128, 
geoBASIC, and more.) 

In toto, I defend GEOS not because it is 
the be-all, end-ail of computing, hut be- 
cause it stretches the creative usefulness 
of my old friend, the (Commodore 64. As a 
writer of a GEOS column, I feel my job is 
not to concentrate on the weaknesses of 
the product (though report them I must, 
particularly destructive bugs). My job is to 
increase understanding and usefulness of 
the product. I also try to inspire, to give 



by Mark Jordan 



ideas to readers on how to use GEOS, I 
even try to give suggestions to Berkeley 
through my articles (are you listening, 
guys?) And finally, I try to have fiin with 
the product. I personally have read too 
many computer columns (not in this mag- 
azine, of course) that are just plain boring. 

Alas, Mr. Grove's letter makes me think 
that I didn't improve his understanding of 
geoPublish, that he was less than in- 
spired, and that he wasn't having much 
fun with the product. I accept the blame. I 
failed. 

Sigh. 

But wait, it's never too late to correct an 
error (until you die). Maybe I did gloss 
over a few of the finer points involved in 
\3smgge(^ublish. One of Mr. Grave's big- 
gest concerns was that he didn't know how 
to import bitmap graphics. Therefore, I 
shaU dedicate the rest of this month's col- 
umn to explaining just that. And, if you 
dear reader, have been scratching your 
head over some aspect of GEOS, drop me 
a line. Who knows, you might get your 
name in this column as prominently as 
Mr, Grove did. 

Importing Bitmaps into 
geoPublish 

If you are really going to pump GEOS, 
you better letUTi how to use the Photo 
Manager. This is the half-way hoase be- 
tween i,'eaPa;>if and the other GEOS ap- 
plications. It isn't hard to use once you get 
the hang of it; it's just slow (unless you 
have an REU). 

The Photo Manager is a desk accessory 
that handles bitmap graphic images. An 
accessory is a program, just like a word 
processor, but instead of handling word 
files, it handles photo files. It does so by 
means of a collection of photos which 
GEOS calls a photo album which you 
must create, lb do that, you fii-st must be 
sure the Photo Manager accessory is on 
your disk. I think it's a good idea to put a 
Photo Manager on all your application 
disks. 

Step two is to go into geoPaint and do 
some drawing. Then use the Edit Box to 
select a region to copy Instead of using the 
"Copy" box in the bottom of the screen, go 
to the Edit menu and choose either "Cut" 
or "Copy." Obviously, if you don't wish to 
remove the region outlined, then don't se- 
lect "Cut." This invisibly creates a "photo 
scr^," the first step m creating or adding 

Con 1 1 lilted on page fifl 



64 MARCH 1989 



Pumping G EOS /Importing Bitmaps Into geoPutjIisIr 



"Yy 



VJ 



Vy 



zy. 



\ Uol. \, Num. 7 \ 






'Zv;r. 



A New Way to Program ^1^ 



Hece's something qou might neve* 
h(n,'e thought about before: n 
computer pioqnnm is nothing more thnn 
ori^ big, long number. Any progrdm.. 
euerg progrflni, Vour disk drive feeds 
this giqontic figure into uour computer's 
memorij in o series of bgtes. 

For instance, if the first bqte in 
your program is a 65 iCeiQeeesi in 
binary) end the second one is a 15 
CaeeeilTD then stocked side by side 
they become 0986111101606061 ujhich is 
3905 in decimal. And so it qroujs until 
you hfiMe one huge, ujhompin' number. 
A i%K program would be a ItS^S-IO- 
diqit number ujfitten in binary. 

Mouu here's ujhat's interesting: 
■juhat if (1 programmer, instead of 
laboring ower computer code for 



months, simply typed in great big 
fandorvi numbers until he got one to 
do something. Or better yet, he could 
ijLirite a simple program that u.iould feed 
these numbers in continously ujhile he 
sat back and ujatched the screen until 
a spreadsheet, uiordprocessor, or 
arcade game appears. Think of the 
development time and effort it utould 
save. Great idea, eh? 

Ves, it is, but alas, it ujill never 
get tried, Why not? Because people 
ni<& too resJstent to change. Do it the 
hard way, the tried and true ujoy. 

Nell, I'm not ■:ifraid of change. 
Let's see, I think I'l try this one: 1 1 

10116100100000011161 

1 8 1 — No aiait, make that 6 1 1 
11... 



Take a look to the left and 
right of this article, Vou 
probably kneuj thot qeoPublish 
ujos able to print headlines 
vertically. But took closer. This 
time the letters remain upright, 
not sideujciys <m^ \x>\\\ happen 
ujhen you use the UP or DOWN 
orientations from the edit menu 
(like the "Pumping GEOS" logo). 

Here's hoLu do you do it: 

Select text and place the 
crosshair ijuhere you ujant 
the upper-left corner to be 
heading 

Zy Type your heading, pick its 
attributes, etc. 

3> Exit edit and click on the 
resize gadget — in the 
loo-ier-right of the text box 

A'y Pull it doujn and to the left 
until your text box is a tall, 
skinriu box 

jj t,ioila! Text prints verticolly. 



The only trick is to siz e the 
bo.x correctly. If you make it 
too ujide, you'll get more than 
one letter on some lines. Too 
narrotA.! ond nothing happens. 
Fortunately, the solution is simple 

— resize your text area and try 
again. 

There is another trick to it, 
Vou'll probably need to go back 
and edit the text because some 
skinny letters -- usually I and L 

— Luill stay on the same line as 
another letter. The solution again 
is sin'iple: just type a space 
before and^^or after these letters. 



/ 



Hrr,, it 
/'on& way 
ap fbere: 




Printing wifin a bO dpi Printer 



If you're stuck ujith a 60 or 71 
dpi printer, you ntay feel you aren't 
qetiin.5 the full glory of GEOS, 
particularly using geoPublish. It isn't os 
bad as it n'light seem. 

For one thing, text printed ujith 
these printers seems to be easier to 
read. The letters are stretched out just 
a little. 

This leads to another subtle benefit 
— you can use a smaller font size and 
still keep uour text readable. 



Plus, Berkeley is presently ujorkinq 
on printer dri'-'ers that ujill be much 
higher resolution for alt printers. 
Berkeley founder Brion Dougherty told 
n-te that he's seen printouts done in 60 
dpi format that looked Iciser-shorp. 

This page of "Pumping GEOS" ujas 
done on my Star NX-10C, a 60-dpi 
printer. Noimallu I use an 86- dp; printer. 
So, if you ujant to see the difference, 
grab last month's issue of this column 
and corripare. 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 65 



Pumping GEOS/ Importing Bitmaps Into geoPublish' 



Continued from page 64 

to a photo Eilbum. 

Next step is to go to the GEOS menu 
and select "Photo Manager." After some 
huffing and puffing (boy, would an REU 
be nice) youll be asked whether you want 
to create a photo album or open an exist- 
ing one. Click "create" and follow the 
prompts to name it. This name will be- 
come our reference for re-opening this al- 
bum, so try to give it a meaningful name. 

Onoi done you will find yourself staring 
at the Photo Manager window. This win- 
dow (X)vers approximately half the screen. 
It has a page-flipper in the lower left just 
like the Notepad. It has a strange gadget 
beneath the page-flipper that looks like 
the rectangle at the top o^ageoWrite 
screen. It fimctions in the same way: if 
you have a photo in your album that is 
bigger than the window, you can use this 
rectangle to move about and view the en- 
tire thing. 

The only other thing on the screen of 
any consequence is the Command menu. 
TWo options— File and Edit-^are up there 
on the command line. Since we just cre- 
ated a photo scrap moments ago, let's get 
it and store it as our first photo in the al- 
bum. 

Go to the Edit menu and select "Paste." 
More huffing and puffing. Behold, there's 
our photo scrap. Now our photo album has 
one picture in it. 

Okay, there's nothing else to do here, so 
go to the File menu and select quit. Huffl 
Puffl We're back to geoPaint 

Want to put another scrap into the al- 
bum just to see how? Just repeat the pro- 
cess of selecting and copying (or cutting) 
something on the screen. Then Ixick to the 
Photo Manager, select the album just cre- 
ated (in version 2,0 of GEOS this step is 
mmecessary), and you'll find yourself 
staring at the former photo scrap. Go to 
the Edit menu, select "Paste," and (huW 
puff) you're staring at the new scrap. If 
you glance up at the command line, you'll 
notice that this new item is called Thoto 
#1." Our previous photo is now "Photo 
#2." Tb see it youll need to use that page- 
flipper. Click it and there the old boy is. 

A Scrap or a Photo? 

The GEOS manual states emphatically 
that one needs to understand the differ- 
ence between a photo scrap and a photo al- 
bum image. The scrap is temporary. It is 
the result of either cutting or copying from 
the Edit menu. Each time you cut or copy 
a graphic region on your screen, you are 
erasing the previous scrap and creating a 



new one. In essence, you never directly 
move photos between Photo Album and 
applications— you deal with scraps. 

You can often avoid using the Photo 
Manager t« move graphics around, a tech- 
nique that can save time. For instance, if 
you need a chart for a geoPublish docu- 
ment, you can enter geoPaint, draw the 
chart, use the "Copy" command fiijm the 
Edit menu, exit geoPaint, re-enter geo- 
Publish, then import the bitmap directly 
without using the Photo Manager at all 
(More on how to import directly in a few 
minutes.) Normally, however, you'll want 
to go through the whole process of saving 
the scrap to a photo aibum. That way, ifs 
always there. 

Once you've got a photo album together, 
it's quite easy to incorporate the photos in 
it into a geoPublish document. First, you 
need to put the following on one disk: the 
Photo Manager, the particular photo al- 
bum that contains the bitmap images you 
need and geoPublish. 

Once you're mto geoPublish, you need 
to activate the Photo Manager It's avail- 
able fh)m the GEOS command line menu 
(as long as you placed it on the disk). 
From the Photo Manager, copy the photo 
(bitmap image) you want via the Edit 
menu (use "cut" or "copy"), and exit the 
Photo Manager. You have just created a 
photo scrap on your disk. GeoPublhh, as 
you know, has three modas of operation; 
Master Pages, Page Graphics and Page 
Layout. You can import bitmaps in any of 
the three modes, but the method is shght- 
ly different for Page Layout than the oth- 
ers. First, let's look at how to do it in the 
Master Pages and Page Graphics modes. 

From either Master Pages or Page 
Graphics, first get your photo scrap in 
place. This means going to the Photo 
Manager and cutting or copying the photo 
image you want. 

Next click the bitmap tool (it looks Uke 
a box within a box). The pointer becomes a 
crosshair. Move your crosshair to the up- 
per-left comer of the place you wjmt your 
bitmap to go and click. The bitmap will 
write to the screen. 

All is fine at this point. But what if you 
didn't place it quite right? Or what if you 
would like to streteh it out a bit or change 
some other attributes? 

Tb change the bitmap's attributes, you 
first must click the attribute tool in the 
toolbox. It looks like a box divided in half 
j diagonally. Clicking this will bring up an 
I options window. You can elect to ceniser 

your bitmap, scale it, or stretoh and scale 
I it. You can also elect to iise a pattern other 



than black for all the set bits in your bit- 
map. And finally, you can elect to have 
your bitmap that's either transparent or 
opaque. 

What will all these options do? Here's a 
quick run-down; 

• Centered: the bitmap will be centered 
in the area you define. 

• Scaled: the bitmap vnll be stretched 
to fit the area defined but will not change 
its proportions vertical to horizontal. 

• Strtlched smd scaled: the bitmap will 
be stretched to fill up the box however you 
shape it. 

• Transparent: the bitmap will allow 
any text or graphics beneath it to show 
through the unset bits. 

• Opaque: graphics beneath the bitmap 
will not show through. 

After you select the options of choice 
(default is centered and opaque), youll 
need to select your bitmap. Use the pointr 
er icon and click anywhere on your bit- 
map. Then you'll see an outline box sur- 
rounding it with the two familiar gadgets 
in the opposite comers. Use the gadget in 
the upper left to move the bitmap. Use the 
lower-right gadget to re-size it. The bit- 
map will be re-drawn to the specifications 
you choose fiom the attributes window, 

lb place a bitmap into your Publish dw- 
ument from the Page Layout mode, you'll 
follow a slightly different procedure. First, 
use the Open Region tool (a dotted box). 
Move your crosshair to the page area 
where you want the upper left of your bit- 
map, click, puil your region outfine down 
and to the right and click when you have 
defined a region of the appropriate size. 

CUck the pointer tool. Select the region 
you just defined. Cfick on the bitmap tool. 
The options window will come up. Make 
your selections. Then click "OK," and the 
bitmap will be in place. 

Once a bitmap has been imported, it be- 
comes a part of the Publish file. You can 
now get new photo scraps and import 
more bitmaps. A lot of work? Confiising? I 
don't think so, at least not after you've 
done it once or twice. I will admit to being 
a bit coniiised as to why the operation is 
not similar in all modes, but it's not a big 
problem for me. I am a programmer as 
well as a writer, and I know that some- 
times things just don't work out so neatly. 
There are many considerations in design- 
ing software. 

It's been quite a workout this month. 
Next month I want to take a serious look 
at another branch of the GEOS family: 
the numerical branch. It's time to delve 
into geoCak. 

Ciao. n 



66 MARCH 1989 




y I A COMMODORE OR 
COMMOOORE-AMfOA 
COMPUTER, AND 
AUTOMATICALLY RECEIVE 
OUR LATEST BUYERS GUIDE 

Each issue the product 
submissions continue to grow as 
more and more peripherals and 
software are becoming available. 
The solid citizen 64 and 128D as 
well as the innovative Amiga 500 
and 2000 attract all the best 
developers. You cannot afford to 
miss out on using your 
Commodore computer to its 
fullest potential with all the tools 
advertised in these guides. 




The Commodore and Commodore Amiga Buyers' Guides 
are published under the auspices of Commodore Magazine. 



ADVENTURE ROflD" 



by Shay Addams 



New Windows 
on Adventure: 

Times of Lore and 
Neuromancer 

News and opinion from a leading 
explorer of those fanUmy realms 
called adventure games. 



Action adventures are my least favor- 
ite form of adventure game, which is 
a civilized way of saying 1 don't like them 
at all. These "shoot-'em-up-in-a-maze 
games" are usually so shallow in tenns of 
plot and character interaction, they often 
give me the impression their fantasy 
worlds were invented solely so the pro- 
grammer would have a place to tiy out his 
new combat system or animated effects. 

That's not tiie case with Times ofLon\ a 
Commodore 64 game that opens a new 
window on the action adventure — lor the 
first time, you get to interact significantly 
with other character by talking with 
them. There is no "type in the words" 
parser, but this part of the interface re- 
sults in a feel similaj- 1« conversing with 
people in the last two Ultimas. Upon 
meeting one of the 60 different characters, 
you can click on the mouth icon to speak. 
His initial response appears in an oblong 
window at the bottom of the screen, then a 
smaller one materializes beside it and dis- 
plays your potential replies, such as "sUirt 
chichcat" or "ask question," 

Depending on your selection, this menu 
may contain different choices the ne.Kt 
time. "Chitchat" with a bai'keep at the 
FYothy Slosh Tavern will net you a rumor 
about ores in the Dark Forest. Click on 
"ask question," and "rumors" and "ores" 
appear in the menu as your next choices. 
Chixjsing a key word that shows up in the 
menu ("ores" in this case) often starts or 
continues a brief conversation, as is tlie 
case in Ultima. It is this aspect that dis- 
tinguishes Times of Lore from all preced- 
ing action adventures, giving it as 
much — ff not more*— depth as some dedi- 
cated rele-playing games, such as Shard 
of Spring and Questron I!. 

Speaking o^Qucstrvn, you'll see a famil- 
iar effect when you enter or leave one of 
the 45 different buildings: the top pops off 
as soon as you walk in, affording an aerial 
view of the interior; it pops back on when 




you leave. (Actually, this effect was intro- 
duced in Legacy of tlie AncienLs, which 
was creatfd by the authors of Questran 11.) 

Also seen from overhead, the landscape 
is finely detailed and colorful, with shad- 
ows beneath the trees to provide a clever 
3D effect. Rogues and ores, priests and 
peasants— all the NPC's (non-player char- 
acters) are represented with distinctively- 
drawn and animated figures. Sound ef- 
fects are also above average, with varying 
tunes, birds chirping and so on. 

All actions are- conducted with the joy- 
stick, lb move, you just turn the stick; 
holding down the button simultaneously 
caused your ore-slayer to swing that sword 
at the nearest monster Other tasks, such 
as examining, grabbing, dropping or giv- 
ing things to people, are handled by 
punching icons at the bottom of the 
screen. You can also check your score, load 
a saved game or pause the action. The 
only drawback I saw is that your charac- 
ter has but one Iffe and no r&surrection 
powers, so death means you've got to re- 
store a saved game. At least you am do so 
by merely leaning on a key, and won't 
have to wait for the entire program to re- 
load. 

The plot is revealed in a series of intri- 
cately-illustrated screens that tells the 
tale of King Valwyn in the land of Albar- 



eth, where he defeated an invasion of bar- 
barians 20 years ago. The King then took 
an extended vacation, promising to return 
by now— but he's nowhere in sight, and as 
you may have guessed, those barbarians 
are back in tcwn. Only his Medallion of 
Power can save the kingdom, and in order 
to summon him hack to the land, you've 
got to find the Foretelling Stones, Thblet 
of TVuth and Ring of the ArehMage. In an 
unusual move for such a game, it lets you 
choose your character's class, one of which 
is female. 

Mapping is the least of your problems 
on this quest, for an exterior map of 
towns, paths and rivei-s is included. This 
frees up your time for more intere'sting 
and fun activities: fighting monsters, fig- 
uring out the effect of the potions and 
scrolls (yes, you can cast a few spells too), 
chatting up people for clues, and fighting 
more monsters. Written by British pro- 
grammer Chris Roberts, Times of Lore is 
naturally being marketed by Lord Bri- 
tish's Origin (they recently shortened the 
name from Origin Systems). No plans are 
currently set for an Amiga version. 

Neuromancer: Breaking the ICE 

Even more drastically, Neuromancer 
also opeas a new window on adventuring. 
Like me, you may have expected Inter- 



58 MARCH 1989 



Adventure Road /New Windows on Adventure 



play's role-playing game based on the Wil- 
liam Gibson science fiction novel to use a 
version of the Barci's Tale or Wasteland 
game system. But Interplay introduced an 
entirely new interface and presentation 
scheme for what turns out to be one of the 
year's most original designs. It's a one- 
character game set in the year 2058. In- 
stead of e:qDloring dungeons, you'll break 
into databases of various mainframe com- 
puters to find passwords and useful gear. 
The immediate goal is to find out what's 
been happening to your "cyberspace cow- 
boy" pals who've b^n disappearing lately 
while they were doing exactly that. As you 
proceed, two interesting plot twists give 
the stoiy even more depth. A catchy musi- 
cal score by Devo (digitized, with vocals in 
the title screen) plays intermittently 
throughout. 

You begin by guiding your character 
(with keyboard or stick) through the 
streets of Japan's Chiba City, portrayed 
with a refi:«shing stj'le of 3D graphics in a 
window that spans the width of the screen 
and about two-thirds the height. {This re- 
minded me of Lucasfilm's Maniac Man- 
shnJ Usually before you go "north" to the 
next location in the game, you only see 
the door through which you will move. 
When on the streets of Chiba City, you'll 
see buildings in the distance; walk north, 
toward the "back" of the picture, and 
you'll enter that distant part of town. Be- 
low the picture window, eight icons control 
actions such as inventory (which brings 
up a menu for using, dropping and mani- 
pulating things in other ways), talking to 
people, and six others. 

Dialogue fills cartoon-like balloons over 
characters' heads. You talk by cycling 
through a series of potential statements 
and questions, then choosing one. Some 

balloons will say, "TfeU me about ," 

so you can fill in the blank by typing in a 
name or word. Other text is presented as 
messages on bulletin boards of various da- 
tabases on Comlink, which is something 
like Q-Link or CompuServe. Afler finding 
a cyberdeck and some communications 
software, you can access these databases 
for clues; you can also send messages to 
people in hopes of getting some feedback. 
As you learn more linkcodes and pass- 
words, you'll be able to download better 
software from the boards; by saving the 
money you make (or steal by transferring 
fluids from someone else's bank account 
into your owti!), you can afford superior 
hardware, perhaps a Ninja 5000 deck. 

But accessing databases and interact- 
ing with Chiba City's inhabitants is only 



the surface of the game, for the real action 
li^ in cyberspace, a grid that "represents 
information in its pure form," When you 
manage this feat, you'll enter a world that 
looks like a matrix filled with big jewel- 
like objects that house the actual data- 
bases. Defeat the ICE (bitrusion Counter- 
measure Electronics) that defends one of 
them, and you'll get inside it and be able 
to access higher security' levels, where 
more powerful software and important 
cluK lie hidden. 

Battling ICE is like no other combat 
you've ever faced. Instead of swinging 
swords or firing lasers, you attack these 
computer programs with your owti soft- 
ware: Decoder 1.0, Drill 2.0, Thunderhead 
1.0, Blowtorch 4.0. Meanwhile the ICE is 
firing back at the same time, and its at- 
tacks can "crash" your software and make 
it inoperable. Some dataijases are guanl- 
ed by even more powerful foes called AI's 
(Artificial Intelligence), also known as 
Black Ice because they can kill you. 
(Youll be resurrected in the Body Shop 
right away, although it will cost every 
credit you didn't have the brains to upload 
to your bank account.) Not all software is 
used for "brealdng the ICE," for some 
serves more sophisticated purposes: Se- 
quencer will figure out passwords, while 
Scout lays bare the number of levels in a 
base. 

As in typical RPG's, skills play a role. 
But here you get them by purchasing skill 
chips that arc surgically implanted in 
your brain! With the Cryptology chip, you 
can decode words, and others cover things 
such as Logic, Coptalk, Debug and Soft- 
ware Analysis. Determining when and 
how to use them presents yet another 
kind of puzzle. 

Besides introducing a unique game sys- 
tem in a scenario filled with inventive 
puzzles, A^euromancer is also one of the 
fiinniest role-playing games ever, for the 
authors didn't miss a chance to show off 
their twisted brand of computer satire. 
Read the Consumer Review database's re- 
views of new hardware, for instance, and 
you'll learn that one model, the UXB, "ex- 
ploded and put our reviewer in the hospi- 
tal for two weeks." And the program takes 
a shot at a monk named Nolan (though it 
does not say his last name is Bushnell) in 
the House of Pong, a temple devoted to 
the "One True Computer Game." Cover- 
ing both sides of two disks, Neummancet^a 
available for the Commodore 64 now, with 
an Amiga version planned. (And it's com- 
pletely unprotected, though you need a 
code wheel to access certain on-line sys- 
tems.) m 



AD\'ERTtSEMEm" 



notes 



#5A 



-^ Exploring Japan with Jet (Part 2)- 

SubLOQIC's Jet program now includes a free 
Jopon Scenery Disk. Lost monOi we took you on a 
guided F-16 tour o( Tokyo. 

Thia month well follow the Japanese coastline on a 
cross-country flight from Tokyo to Osaka. Starting 
from Tokyo international Airport (coordinates 
Morth 18201. East 32787), take off and turn to a 
heading of 220 degrees until you reach the coast 
Turn to a heading of 235 degrees and fly for about 
tvuelvc minutes at Tve thousand feet altitude until 
you can see Hamamatsu Airport below you (see 
Tokyo area chart). Turn right again to a heading of 
305 degrees and fly to Nagoya, another highly 
detailed city. At fSatjoya, turn left to a 240-degree 
heading that will take you straight to Osaka, When 
you find j-ourself flying over Osakajo Castle, begin 
your descent for a landing at Osaka International. 
This entire flight takes only twenty five minutes at 
Mach 1.4. 

-4* Thu tide rC hopper Missions - While 

ThunderChopper puts you at the controls of a 
heavily armed attack helicopter, you'll have to 
complete a set of Introductory flight/' rescue/ 
combat training missions before you can fly into 
battle. 

In the first combat mission. Armed Escort, you 
must guide your battle -weary ground troops to 
safety through enemy territory. Their only way out is 
through a valley guarded by heavily -armed guerilla 
fighters. Its up to you to locate and destroy any 
enemy units that attack your men along the way. 
Deadly accurate aim is essential; there's no way to 
rearm in combat. Get yourself and your troops 
back safely to receive a mission evaluation and 
performance rating. (Coming next month - Rescue 
ai Sea) 



Top Selling Scenery Disks This Month: 

( 524,95 each, for us* wiih Flight Simulator i:, Sttahh Mission 
aivd Jn) 

l."Westem European Tour" Scenery Disk 
2. Scent ly Disk jf 7 (U.S. Eastern Seaboard) 
3. Scenery Dlak # It (U.S. North Eastern 

Border) 
4. Scenery Disk # 3 (U.S. Southwest pBcl Re) 
5. San Francisco Scenery Disk 

See your dealer to purchase SubLOGIC products, 
or call us direct to order by charge card at (800) 
637-4983. Illinois icsldenls call (217) 359.8482, 

SubLOGIC Corporation 
501 Henyon Road 
Champaign, IL 5! 820 

Ftcflie address any fecdbflclfcortespondcncp regarding 
SubLtXfiC products. 0;>rrfllk]n3, or [hia 'Flkght ^fote5- 
eofumn lo ATTM: Chaitmon'i Otficc, 



COMMODORE MAGWINE 69 



Tips & Tricks/64 and 128' 

Continued from page 13 

Look at the odds on the screen, then place your bet by enter- 
ing the amount, a comma and the number of the horse you are 
betting on. When your bet has been plared, sit baclt and watch 
the action. 
Ghislain deBlois 
Timmins, Ontario 
Canada 

100 REM 64 HORSE RACE - G. DE BLOIS 

110 N=RND{-TI) 

115 M=500:DATA KELLSO , 5 , FORENO , 9 , 

TESSAN,7,DEHLIA,6,KELLEN,4,FIELLO, 

8 
120 FOR X=l TO 6:READ H${X):READ OD(X) 

:P(X)=3:NEXT 
130 POKE 53281, 13:P0KE 53280,6 

: PRINT" [BLACK] " 
140 PRINT" [CLEAR, DOWN, SPACE4,RVS] 
64 HORSE RACE - G . DE BLOIS 

[RVOFF] " 
150 PRINT TAB (14) ; "[DOWN] CASH $"M" 

[DOWN] " 
160 FOR X=l TO e:PRINT" [D0WN,SPACE5] 

"X; " [RVS] ";H$ (X) ; TAB (20) ;" [RVOFF] 

f 

170 PRINT"ODDS";OD (X) ; "TO 1":NEXT 

: INPUT" [DOWN2,WHITE,SPACE3] 

ENTER BET, HORSE [BLACK] "; B, H 
180 B$-STR$ (B) :IF B<1 OR B>M THEN 140 
190 PRINT" [CLEAR] THEY'RE 0FF![SPACE2] 
YOU BET $";MID$ (B$,2) ;" ON HORSE"; 

H; " [LEFT] . [DOWN] " 
200 FOR X=l TO 6:PRINT X; TAB (P (X) ) ; " 

[SHFT "] /[DOWN] " :NEXT 
210 FOR T=l TO 6:P0KE 646,13+T 

;X=INT(RND(l)*aD(T)+l) 

:IF X=l THEN P(T)=P(T)+1 
220 PRINT" [HOME] "; :FOR X=l TO T 

: PRINT" [D0WN2] " ; :NEXT 
230 PRINT TAB (P (T)-l) ; " [LEFT]"; 

TAB(P(T) ) ;" [SHFT "] " 
240 IF P(T)>37 THEN W=T:POKE 646,0 

:GOTO 260 
250 NEXTiGOTO 210 
260 IF HOW THEN B=-B:M=M+B 

:M$="YOU LOST":IF M<1 THEN 290 
270 IF H=W THEN M$="YOU WON!" 

:M=M+B*OD (T) 
28 PRINT TAB(15) ;" ID0WN7] ";M$ 

:FOR X=l TO 2000 : NEXT : RESTORE 

:GOTO 120 
290 PRINT" [DOWN] YOU 'RE BROKE!": END 

64 Valley of Death: Use a joysticlt in port 2, Your goal is to get 
through the reallBtic Valley of Death without hitting the side 
walls, T^in't ea-sy, what with all them humim bones about! 
Marc-Andrv Dclalay 
St-Eu,Htiiche, Quebec 
Canada 

10 PRINT" [CLEAR, WHITE164 VALLEY OF 

DEATH [DOWN] BY MARC-ANDRE DELALAY" 
15 POKE 53230, 6:P0KE 53281,0 



20 DATA 000,195,000,003,255,192,015, 

255 
30 DATA 240,063,255,252,063,255,252, 

063 
40 DATA 255,252,063,255,252,015,255, 

240 

50 DATA 015,195,240,015,195,240,003, 

000 
60 DATA 192,003,000,192,000,195,000, 

000 
70 DATA 195,000,000,255,000,000,255, 

000 
80 DATA 000,060,000,000,060,000 
90 FOR J=896 TO 948: READ K : POKE J,K 

:NEXT 
100 FOR J=l TO 800 ;NEXT:V=53248 :D=10 

:G$ = "I [SPACE9] I " : TI$ = "0OOO00 " 
110 POKE 2040,14:POKE V,140 

:POKE V+l,75;POKE V+39,7 

:POKE V+21,1 
120 IF PEEK(V+31)=1 THEN 120 
130 LET A=INT (RND (1) *3-l) :D=D+A 
140 IF D<5 THEN D=D+1 
150 IF D>15 THEN D=D-1 
160 PRINT TAB(D);G$:IF 

TI$="000040"THEN 220 
170 R=PEEK (56320) 

180 H=SGN(R AND 4)-SGN(R AND 8) 
190 POKE V,PEEK(V)+H 
200 IF PEEK(V+31)=0 THEN 130 
210 PRINT" [CLEARlYOU HAVE CRASHED!!" 

:END 
220 PRINT" [CLEARlYOU HAVE SUCCEEDEDl" 

128 Skt'tcher: This works like an Etch-A-Sketch''-, Plug a joy- 
stick into port 2 and start drawing. The HOME key will clear 
the .screen, while the "C" key will change the color of your pen, 
Richard Bowser, Jr. 
Saxonburg, PA 

10 REM 128 SKETCHER BY RICHARD BOWSER 
20 COLOR 0,1:COLOR 4,1:GRAPHIC 1,1 

:X=20:Y=20:C=2:WIDTH 2 

:REM SET POINTERS 
30 DRAW 1,X,Y:C0L0R 1,C:GET A$ 
40 IF A$=" [HOME] " THEN 20 

:ELSE IF A$="C" THEN C=C+1 

:IF 016 THEN C=2 
50 REM MOVE TO NEXT POSITION AND DRAW, 

CHECK FOR A SCNCLR OR COLOR CHANGE 
60 IF J0Y(2)=1 THEN Y=Y-1 
70 IF JOY(2)=2 THEN X=X-I-1 : Y=Y-1 
80 IF JOY (2) =3 THEN X=X-H 
90 IF J0Y(2)=4 THEN X=X+1:Y=Y+1 
100 IF JOY (2) =5 THEN Y=Y+1 
110 IF J0Y(2)=5 THEN X=X-1 : Y=Y-»-l 
120 IF JOY (2) =7 THEN X=X-1 
130 IF J0Y(2)=3 THEN X=X-1:Y=Y-1 
140 IF X<1 THEN X=1:ELSE IF X>319 

THEN X=319 
150 IF Y<1 THEN Y=1:ELSE IF Y>199 

THEN Y=199:REM CHECK IF AT EDGES 
OF SCREEN 
160 GOTO 30 



70 MARCH 1989 



Tips & Tricks/64 and 128 

IconTroller Mounting Tip: The Suncom IconTroller is a tiny joy- 
stick that mounts directly onto the keyboard; it's particularly 
usefijl whenever you're working with GEOS, With my computer, 
however, the IconTVoller kept getting in my way when I used 
BASIC and other programs. 

My solution was to remove the IconTkiller and cut off the 
"wing" that mounts it to the keyboard. Then I peeled off one of 
the wing's strips of double-sided tape and applied it to the bot- 
tom of the IconTroller, which I then mounted on a 2 y-i' x 4" 
piece of 3/4" thick marble (used for papenveights, nameplates, 
etc.) This lets me use it almost like a mouse, keeping one hand 
on the IconTroller and one hand free. I can also move it com- 
pletely out of the way whenever I'm not using it 
Gary Noakes 
Landouer, MD 

geoPubliah: One problem I encountered with this useful pro- 
gram was the carryover of graphics and text from previous 
pages. It took me a while to figure out how to correct it, but here 
it is; 

When creating a Master Page, you must remember that 
whatever is on the first Master Page will be earned over to all 
the subsequent pag&s. This is great for headers, footers and page 
numbers, but if you drop a graphic onto the first Master Page, or 
put a border around it, it will be carried over to the rest of the 
pages in the document. 

Now I put headers, footers and page numbers on the Master 
Page, lay out my text boxes on the liyout Page, and drop all 
graphics objects on the Graphics Page. 
Gary Cook 
Prince George, B.C. 
Canada 



Help for Poor Spellen;: The spell checker is a useful accessory 
found in most modem word processors. It checks the spelling of 
words you've inadvertently misspelled In your document. 

But if you know you can't spell a certain word, the spell check- 
er isn't so valuable. And if you encounter the word when you're 
in the midst of inspiration, you probably don't want to stop and 
check the dictionarj' right then. 

If your word processor has a search and replace function, 
there's an easy way to solve the problem. Instead of using your 
best guess at the spelling, use the first two or three lettere of the 
word, followed by a distinctive sj-mbol such as an asterisk. 

For example, if you aren't sure how to speU "exhilarated," use 
"ex*" instead. At the end of your work session, take a break and 
check your dictionaty for the proper spelling of "exhilarated." 

Now invoke the search and replace function to replace all oc- 
currences of "ex*" with "exliilaratt'd." Tlie computer will zip 
happily tlmjugh your text and make all the replacements. You 
can do the same for any number of words, and some word proces- 
sors \w\\\ let you make multiple corrections on one pass. 

If you have more than one word with the same hvo-initial let- 
ters, either use the first three lettere of the second word, or dif- 
ferent symbols at the end of the search string. Note that with 
some word processors, you must use a space at the end of the re- 
placement string, otherwise it will be merged with the following 
word. 

Paul Follini 
Amiierst, Nova Scotia 
Canada 



' HiKh-tech Bookmsirks: If you have a printer, you have no doubt 

torn off hundreds of 11-inch long perforated edge strips from the 

! paper that you've run through it. Save some of those strips to 

use for bookmarks in magazines and other computer literature. 

They don't cost anything, you can put many in one magazine, 

and you have a virtually endless supply 

Another miracle of modem computer technology! 
Garret D. Wilson 
Chelsea, OK 



Use Tabs in Your Mtmuals: All of us have books on computers, 
be they hardware manuals, BASIC manuals, program manuals 
or whatever. Using the little colored tabs available for note- 
books, I have gone through eveiy manual I own and marked all 
chapters, indexes and important tables and appendixes. This 
greatly simplifies my finding what I'm looking for in the books. 

Although it took some time to catch up with all my older 
books, each new manual is now tabbed before it hits the sheff. 
The time spent doing this has been returned many fold. 
Gary Noakes 
Landover, MD 



Sliding Write-Protect Tab: I saw this one at the Chicagoland 
Commodore Computerfest. It's a little plastic tab that slides 
down the inside edge of your disk seam, where it can be moved 
back and forth to cover or uncover the write protect slot. 

It's easy enough to make your own tabs out of semi-sUff plas- 
tic sign material like the "For Sale" signs sold in hardware 
stores and bookstores. The type to get is flexible and about as 
thick as four or five sheets of paper. Make a pattern as described 
below, then use an X-Acto'* knife to score the plastic. Snap it on 
the scores to produce the tab. Trim the tab until you can easily 
fit it into the side seam on the back of your disk; it works with 
most of the disk brands on the market. 

Pull the tab back and you can write to the disk. The tab even 
sticks out of the drive to warn you! Slide it in and the disk is pro- 
tected. 

Make the pattern by putting your pencil to a sheet of paper 
and following this path: Right 1'//, down %", left%". Up Vi", left 
1 Vh, up '/a" to the starting point. 
You can get a pack often of these tabs, already made up, if 
: you send S2.00 and a seff-addressed stamped envelope to the 
I user group that made mine: Milwaukee Area Commodore En- 
• thusiasts, RO. Box 26216, Milwaukee, WI 53226. 
I LoiiLs F. Sander 
Pittsburgh, PA 



Sound Processing; In addition to making sound on its own, your 
computer can process and control external sound, replaying it 
through a speaker connected to the SID chip. The ex-temal audio 
signal should be connected to pin 5 of the audio'video DIN plug. 
Its playback volume will be controlled by the SID chip volume 
control in memory loaition 54296, and it can be filtered by the 
SID's built-in filters. 

We've had reports of people playing their radias through their 
computers, controlling the volume by the SID volume control. 

The extemal signal should not exceed 3 volts peak-to-peak. 
Lucy S. Terrier 
Alton, IL m 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 71 



IHSIDE a-LINK- 



by Robert W. Baker 



Adventure- 
link Debut 

Explore the inner workings of the 
Q-Link telecommunications 
service with network pro Bob 
Baker. 



Well, in case you missed it, there's a 
new semce available on Q-Link. 
AdventureLink is where you can not only 
participate in the universe, but you can 
also help create it as well. The new area 
provides an opportunity for everyone to 
get involved in on-line adventure-style 
games, with levels for the beginner to the 
advanced adventurer or DungeonMaster. 

Those who are just getting started in 
adventure games will find simple and in- 
termediate level adventui-e games de- 
signed to provide thought-provoking ex- 
citement from sUirt to finish. Various text 
files in the AdventureLink area will intro- 
duce you to the basic game play: how to 
make selections, map your progress and 
check your current health or score. There's 
even information on how an adventure i 
can be linked together with one or more ' 
cither adventures. ! 

For the more advanced players, here's 
your opportunity to design your owti dun- 
geon or universe for everj'one to try. 
There's complete information on how to 
design, create and submit a game of your 
own. In the near future, prizes will be of- 
fered for the best game designs and those 
submissions mil be available for other 
subscribers to attempt to master. There's 
also a special message board where you 
can post questions or hints about any of 
the online games. 

The adventure games found online are 
designed like a tree. You start at a given 
room or location, and your choice of action 
cause you to "branch" out into a series of 
different possibilities. If you take the right 
branch you may achieve fame and glory, 
while taking the wrong branch may bring 
you face to face with death or even worse. 
Each room or area can offer up to nine 
choices for pcssible actions to be selected 
by number or English command depend- 
ing on the game. Watch out for dead ends, 
alternate paths and other less obvious at- 
tempts to get you lost or off the track. 

Read the room descriptions carefully, 
since they may contain useftil clues that 




could influence your selection. The last 
text line of each room will list the passible 
selections for moving to the next area or 
room. Also be sure to check the introduc- 
tory file associated with each on-line 
game. The Briefings vnW provide the plot 
and objectives of the game, and may e\'en 
provide attribute bonus points or special 
weapons and objects when you read them. 

You can save or quit a game at any 
point during play, lb save the current 
game, you simply enter SAVE as your 
command. You don't have to enter a file- 
name to save the game, since you can only 
have one saved copy of each on-line game. 
That means that if there are ten games 
currently available, the maximum num- 
ber of saved games is ten, one per game, 
lb load a previoasly-saved game, enter 
the game as usual and then enter LOAD 
as yoiu- first command. You'll be traas- 
ported back to the area you were in when 
you last saved the game. \Vhen you want 
to quit a game, simply press F5 and follow 
the directions. Just remember to save 
your game first if you think you'll want to 
continue playing it later. 

As you journey through a game, you 
can always check your health and score at 
any time by typing STATUS or SCORE 
and pressing RETURN. This will give you 
an idea of how you're doing. Be sure to 
keep an eye on your health; if it reaches 
zero you'll be dead and the game will be 
over. Certain actions within each game 
can restore your health and give you a 
higher score, so be on the lookout for spe- 
cial potions! 

If you'd rather design games for others 
to play, then check out the helpful text 



files provided in the AdventureLink area. 
You'll find complete information on how to 
design and map your game and how to 
provide the system with the required in- 
formation to control your game. This 
unique aspect of AdventureLink allows 
you and other players to design any type 
of game you wish, 

AdventureLink games are wiitten as 
standard ASCn text files and uploaded to 
Tlie Chart Room software library. From 
there, the people at Q-Link will reformat 
the file and test it out to make sure it 
plays right. Then, if it's one of the Tbp Tbn 
picks for the month they'll put it live in 
the Gloiy Road where other subscribers 
can play it. The most important thing to 
remember is that anything is possible 
with AdventureLink, Let your imagina- 
tion run wild, 'ITie more untraditional, the 
better. Your game can be long or short, 
complex or simple, The guidelines for 
choosing which games will go live on the 
system will be how interesting, wild and 
exciting the stories are. 

Before you sit down to write your first 
game, be sure to check the information 
provided on how to create a game. Design- 
ing a game is not a simple matter, the en- 
tire game has to be charted or mapped be- 
fore any of the text adventure can be writ- 
ten. The map should show each ai-ea or 
room that a player can enter, where the 
exits are, and what objects or other char- 
acters are in each area, Ona' this map is 
finished, you can start working on the text 
that ties it all together, 

Tb map yoiu: game, the folks at Q-Link 
suggest one of two methods: flow-charting 
or form-charting. Most programmers are 



72 MARCH 1989 



nside Q-Unk/AdventureLink Debut ^ 

already familiar with flow-charting, where 
a series of boxes are joined by lines that 
show where boxes connect with other 
boxes. Flowcharts are handy, since they 
let you view a wide section of the game at 
any one time, with all the various paths 
and side- trails easily and clearly visible. 
Unfortunately, a flowchart for a long 
game can be extremely big and may actu- 
ally become unmanageable. You can 
make it a little easier on youraelf by 
breaking the game into a series of small 
flowcharts that can be laid out to form one 
big chart. 

The other mapping alternative dis- 
cussed in the hints on designing games is 
the use of Form-charting. This mapping 
technique is somewhat easier, but you'll 
wind up using tons of paper for larger 
games. Form-charting involves using a 
separate sheet of paper for every room or 
area that a player can enter Each page in- 
cludes details on the room or area, includ- 
ing all the possible exits, objects and char- 
acters in that room. Each exit is labeled 
with the name or number of the area or 
room it leads to. You then stack the pages 
in order, and you can easily enter each 
separate page into your text file, one page 
at a time. 

Using form-charting actually makes it 
a little easier to enter your game for Q- 
Link when it's done, but it may be a little 
harder to visualize the overall game de- 
sign. Examples of both methods are in- 
cluded in the informational areas of Ad- 
ventureLink. Either technique can be 
used, and you might even have another 
technique of your own. In any event, just 
be sure to think through your entire game 
before you start to create the file for 
Q-Link. 

The actual file you create for Q-Link to 
define your game requires a format that 
must be strictly followed. This format 
makes it easier for the folks at Q-Link to 
make it ready to go live on the system for 
others to play. If you do not follow the 
rules, your game will probably ju.st be dis- 
carded. So if you're going to spend the 
time to design a game for the system, be 
sure to follow the rules and do it right. If 
all is correct, you should get some sort of 
response from the people at Q-Link in a 
few days to let you know that they re- 
ceived the file and they're working on it. 

One last thing alDOUt the online adven- 
ture games. Besides the game flow, game 
designers can also control the attributes of 
the characters in their ^me. The purpose 
of attributes is to let the player more 
closely affect the outcome of the game by 



having his attributes result bvm his ac- 
tions, A player with high strength might 
more easily win a fight with a monster 
than a player with lower strength. In most 
role-playing and adventure games, attri- 
butes are expre.ssed in terms like 
strength, wisdom, dexterity and agility. 

In AdventureLink you can create your 
own set of attributes for your game. You're 
currently limited to a total of 16 attributes 
that can range in value ftt)m + /- 30,000, 
and they can increase or decrease during 
the game. As part of your game design, 
you'll have to consider what attributes to 
use and how they're initialized and used 
during the game. Also think about how 
and when or where the attributes should 
be changed during the game. Some attii- 
butes can even be set as permanent if so 
desired. 

That covers most of the early informa- 
tion available on AdventureLink. I'm sure 
more will be coming in fiiture months as 
we aU try it out. While playing the online 
games, always remember to have fim! 
Each story is difierent, and in fact even 
the same game will not produce the same 
results when you take different courses of 
action in a story. Don't be afi^d to make 
wild or even bizarre choices, the results 
may be hilarious and you can always start 
over. 

Several month.^ back I gave some de- 
tails on helpful information from 'lymnet 
and Tfelenet. Well, Bb Stacker mentioned 
how to get even more information from 
your local Tymnet node. Using any stan- 
dard telecommunications package, con- 
tact your local lymnet node and establish 
connection. The first prompt is for a tenni- 
nal identifier, which is generally the letter 
"A," Then, if you respond with "INFOR- 
MATION" to the next Log-On input 
prompt you'll receive a wealtli of informa- 
tion about Tymnet at no cost. 

TinyC28 also points out that you 
should never use GEOS-formatted disks 
for downloading files from Q-Link. All 
you'll get is garbage if you try to use the 
program or text files. Always be sure to 
use a standard, norma Wy-formatted dis- 
kette for your downloads finm the system. 

ff you have any helpfiil hints or sugges- 
tions about Q-Link or ideas or suggestions 
for fiiture columns, be sure to let me know. 
Your input and comments are always ap- 
preciated. You can reach me via E-mail to 
RBAKER almost daily Tb those still at- 
tempting to send online messages while 
Fm online, I'm generally pretty busy 
while online and may not be able to re- 
spond right away. E-mail is always pre- 
ferred, o 



Software Reviews/Red Storm Rising 

Continual [mm page 18 

of torpedoes and missiles. "Evasion and 
Escape" is a complete guide to dodging 
torpedoes. 

Part Three is a reference manual con- 
taining illustrations and descriptions of 
all ships and weapons encountered in the 
game. 

Use of sonar is perhaps the most impor- 
tant feature of the game. You can check 
the depth of the sea's surface duct and 
thermal layer, and then position your 
towed array accordingly to make it more 
difficult for enemy subs to detect you 
while making it easier for you to detect 
them. Once a sonar contact is made, the 
enemy ships' acoustic signature can be 
checked against a list of signatures to in- 
crease the accuracy of your sonar reading. 
There is also a screen that will allow you 
to compare the relative efiiciency of your 
sonar versus the enemy 

The depth of detail (no pun intended) 
incorporated in the design of Red Storm 
Rising gives this MicroProse sub warfare 
action ^m Tbm Clancys novel a broad 
range of real-time game environments 
that will intrigue the beginner and satisfy 
the most demanding war gamer g 

Tb help you get started here are some tips 
&x)m our in-house Red Storm Rising ex- 
pert, Greg Givlen 

• Scenarios during the war are basically 
the same as the scenarios that you can 
choose to play. If when playing the war 
you have difficulty with one of the mis- 
sions (mine is the woUpack scenario), take 
some time to practice the scenario in a 
non-wartime setting. 

• Save the game between each successful 
mission. 

• It is best to reducB speed as soon as you 
enter a scenario; this gives you the best 
chance of hearing the enemy without be- 
ing heard. 

• When in the campaign map mode, you 
should try, whenever possible, to get in 
fiiont of the target task force. This puts 
you in the best position for attack. 

• Be patient— you are better at stealth 
than the enemy use this advantage; it is a 
big one. When you know where they are 
and they don't know where you are, you 
can't get hurt. 

• Last of all (and most importantly), read 
the manual. It is one of the best manuals 
that I have read for a war game. It has 
helpol me numerous times to figure ex- 
actly what the computer is doing. It wiU 
also give you an idea as to how the enemy 
may react in a given situation. 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 73 



Protecto's 



Since 1979 



COMPUTER DIRECT 

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PROGRAMMING' 



BAM 
Organizer 

for the Commodore 64 



BAM Organizer is a utility program 
that will take care of all your directo- 
ly maintiiiiance chores. It will allow you to 
Delete, Rename, Lock and Unlock any file 
or combination of files. 

This program will even customize your 
directories by allow'ing you to change the 
order in which the filenames appear in 
your directory listings. You may alphabet- 
ize it or simply move a few around to suit 
your needs. 

Have you ever seen those horizontal 
lines within some dii"ectory listings that 
seem to group the listing into different 
sections? With BAM Organizer you have 
the option of inserting your own lines 
(Bars) wherever you please. 

One useful feature of this program is its 
ability to Un-delete (or recover) a 

NOTE: Only a 1541 disk drive (or 
equivalent) can be used. A 1571 can be 
used if it is in the 1541 mode of operation. 
Also, BAM Organizer should not be used ' 
on any diskettes containing Random Ac- 
cess files, since all the fde data will be lost . 
during the validation process. [ 

When you run the program, you will be 
prompted to insert the diskette that you 
wish to work on in drive number 8. The , 
program will then read the entire directo- , 
ry into memor>' for you to manipulate. , 
Since the 1541 disk drive is capable of 
storing as many as 144 files on a single 
side of a diskette, the program divides the 
directory into four pages of 36 files each, 
lb view a certain page simply press one of ; 
the function keys. Each Rmction key rep- 
resents a different page, ff the page select- 
ed is empty of any entries, the page will 
not be shown. 

After the directory has been loaded, you 
will notice that the menu does not show 
all of the commands. lb view the rest of 
the commands just press the left arrow 
(*~) key It is not necessary to be able to 
see a command to use it. You just need to 
know which keys to press. 

It is possible that a "D" or an "L" may 
precede a filename when displayed by 
BAM Organizer, The 'T)" means that this 
file has been deleted and will not be 
shown on a normal directorj' listing. The 




"L" means that this particular file is 
locked. A locked file cannot be deleted by 
the use of the OPEN15,8,15,"S0:FILE- 
NAME" command, lb be able to delete it 
you must first unlock it. Once you choose 
a command, such as Lock, a selector bar 
will appear on the screen and a different 
menu will appear. Whichever filename is 
covered by the selector bar is the file that 
you are presently working with. Use the 
cursor keys to move the bai- up, down, left 
or right. 

lb lock some files, select the Lock com- 
mand. Move the selector bar over the files 
you wish to lock, one at time, and press 
'T' to toggle the greater than (>) sjmbol 
on or off. If it is on, you have chosen that 
file to be locked. Once you have marked 
all the files you wish to lock, simply press 
"D" which means Do it! All the filra you 
have selected will then be locked. If you 
decide after toggling many files that you 
really didn't want to lock any at all then 
just press the left arrow key That will 
take you back to the main menu and un- 
select all of the fdes you selected. The left 
arrow key will let you escape any mode 
except the Alphabetize mode. 

DELETE: This mode vrill allow you to 
delete one or more files. If a file that is 
chosen to be Deleted is Locked, the pro- 
gram will not Delete it. 

UNDELETE: This mode will allow you 
to recover a Deleted file. There are a few 
problems to watch for when using this 
command. When you delete a file fi^om a 
disk the file is not actually removed. The 
directory is told to free all of the space that 



was used by that program. So the next 
program saved will probably be saved 
right on top of the one deleted. That will, 
of course, cause problems if you wish to re- 
cover the old program. You should Unde- 
lete the file as soon as you made the mis- 
take of deleting it. Then you will be able 
to recover the whole file, lb Undelete a file 
do the following: 

1. Use BAM Organizer to Undelete it. 

2. Make sure that the file is still in its 
original state. If it is, then everything is 
okay (Go to step 5.) If it isn't then proceed 
to step 3. If you don't want to keep it then 
go to step 4, 

3. Use a file copier to transfer the file to 
a different disk. 

4. Run BAM Orgtmizer again and de- 
lete that file again. That coirupt file must 
remain deleted on the first diskette. Do 
not use the regular Scratch command to 
re-delete that file. It will iwt work correct- 
ly Only BAM Organizer will be able to do 
it correctly. 

5. Stop." 

UNL0CK/L(X:K: These will allow you 
to lock and unlock files. 

MOVE: Once you select this mode all 
you need to do is toggle the file that you 
wish to move and then move the selector 
bar to the position you want to place it and 
press 'T' again. The file will be inserted 
into that new position, and all of the other 
files will re-acyust to make room. 

ALPHABETIZE: Once selected, this 
option will immediately alphabetize the 
entire director^'. 

RENAME: When you toggle a filename 



76 MARCH 1989 



Pragramming/8AM Organizer 

in this option, you will be prompted to en- 
ter the new filename. 

HAR: lb insert a Bar in your directory 
just select Bar in the first menu and move 
the selector bar to the position that you 
want the Bar placed and press "B." You 



may insert as many Bars as you want. 

DONE: Once you have made all of the 
changes that you want made, you will 
need to write this new Directon' back onto 
the diskette. It is mandatory that the i;ame 
disk that ivas in the drive when the directo- 
ry was read is still in the drive when you 



select this option. Once the directory is 
rewTitten, the disk will go through the 
Validation process to ensure that the disk 
is in order 

EXIT: Selecting this option will end the 
program without saving any changes to 
the diskette. n 



lltfiirc lipinmhis pnisNtn. ffJil li"W n> Enlcr Pmurimi" and "How (o lie ttie .VUjSWitic 
Eniry Pro-am." The B.^!C prugr^ni^ in lhi» msj^/inc ^rp ivijlihle on disk fnim Laadsur. 
PO Bo.\ 30008. Shmrport, l.A "IIjO-OOO". IHII()-«3I-2Wl 



BAM OrRanizer 



10 



H5=H$+"RESE:T COMPUTER! "ABCDEFGHIJK 

" 'CELG 

DATA 162,4,32,198,255,160, ,32,207, 

255,153'BLQG 

DATA 229,159,20 0,192,27,208,245,32, 

204,255,96 'BPWK 

FOR K=49152 TO K+21:READ A 

:POKE K,A'GPKL 

NEXT'BAEX 

DATA UNLOCK, LOCK, DELETE, MOVE, 

WORKING," REWRITE BAM" , UNDELETE , 

BAR, RENAME 'BCCT 

PRINT" [CLEAR] "CHR$ ( 142 ) CHR$ (8) 

:POKE 53281, 0:PO=53280:POKE P0,0 

:FOR K=l TO 32 'JJQQ 
30 NL$=CHR$ (0) :EF$=EF$+NL$;NEXT 

:PS=1 'GVEH 
35 FOR K=l TO 9:READ PK$(K):NEXT 

:DL$ (0)="":DL$ (1)=" [LEFT, GREEN] 



12 

15 

17 

20 
23 

25 



D" ' HARD 
40 BOS [0) = " [RED] " :B0$ (1) = " [RVS, 

L. BLUE] ":LK$ (0)=" " 

:LK$ (1)=" [GREEN]L":CH$(0)=" " 

:CHS (1)=" [WHITE]>" 'GQBO 
45 DIM VT$ (25) ,FL$(144) ,LK(144) , 

0(144} ,CH(144) ,F(15) ,L(15) 

:IS==1 'CFTR 
50 VT$(1)="[H0ME] ":FOR K=l TO 24 

:VT$ (K+1)=VT$ (K)+" [DOWN] ":NEXT'IBAM 

55 L$="[HOME,BLUE,SHFT U,SHFT C17, 
CMDR R,SHFT C20,SHFT I,SHFT B] 
"'BCON 

56 L$=L$+" [SPACE2,L. BLUE] 

BAM 0RGANIZER[SPACE2,BLUE,SHFT B, 

L. BLUElBY: " 'CENQ 
60 L$=L$+" CLIFFORD DEDMORE [BLUE, 

SHFT B,CMDR Q,SHFT C7,CMDR R, 

SHFT C9,CMDR E,SHFT C5,CMDR R, 

SHFT C14,CMDR W]"'CEYO 
65 L$=L$+"[SHFT B,L. BLUE]PAGE 

: tSPACE2, BLUE, SHFT B]"'CEYN 
70 M5(1)="[L. BLUE] F-1 [BLUE, SHFT B,UP, 

LEFT, CMDR R,DOWN,L. BLUE] F-3 [BLUE , 



SOFTWARE SPECIALS! 



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SBC 

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Panzer Strike 

Jordan vs. Bird 

Power Play Hockey 

F-18Homcl 

Pool of Radiance 




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COMMODORE MAGAZINE 77 



Programming/ BAM Organizer* 



SHFT B,UP,LEFT,CMDR R,DOWN,L. BLUE] 
F-5 [BLUE,SHFT B , UP , LEFT ,CMDR R, 
DOWN,L. BLUE]F-7[BLUE,SHFT B, 
L. BLUE] [RVS]A[RVOFF] LPHABETIZE 
[SPACE2, BLUE, SHFT B)"'BFKY 
M$ (1)=M$ (1)+"[CMDR Q,SHFT C4, 
CMDR R,SHFT C2,Cf4DR E,SHFT C3, 
SHFT +,SHFT C3,CMDR E,SHFT C2, 
CMDR R,CMDR E,SHFT C3,CMDR E, 
SHFT C3,CMDR R,SHFT C4,CMDR R, 



75 



76 



80 



84 



85 



90 



95 



100 



105 



110 



115 

120 

125 
130 

135 

140 



SHFT C5,CMDR W]"'CKTQ 
H$(1)=M$(1)+"[SHFT B,L. BLUE,RVS]L 
[RVOFF]OCK[BLUE,SHFT B,L. BLUE,RVS] 
U [RVOFF]NLOCK" 'CKBT 

M$(1)=M$(1)+"[BLUE,SHFT B,L. BLUE, 
RVS]D[RVOFF]EL [DOWN , BLUE , SHFT C, 
L- BLUE, LEFT, UP] ETEfBLUE, SHFT B, 
DOWN, LEFT, CMDR E,UP,L. BLUE]U[RVS] 
N[RVOFF]D [DOWN, BLUE, SHFT C,L. BLUE, 
LEFT, UP] ELETE" 'CKOX 

MS(1)=M$ (1) + " [BLUE, SHFT B,L. BLUE] 
D[RVS]0[RVOFF]NE [BLUE, SHFT B, 
L, BLUE]E tRVS]X[RVOFF]IT! [BLUE, 
SHFT B] " 'CKPS 

M$(1)=M${1)+"[CMDR Z,SHFT C4 , 
CMDR E,SHFT C6,CMDR E,SHFT C3, 
RIGHT, SHFT C2 , RIGHT , SHFT C3, RIGHT, 
SHFT C4,CMDR E,SHFT C4,CMDR E, 
SHFT C5,CMDR X] "'CKLP 
VN$=" [RVS]B[RVOFF]AR [BLUE, SHFT B, 
UP, LEFT, SHFT + ,D0WN2 , LEFT , CMDR E, 
UP,L. BLUB,RVS]R[RVOFF]E[BLUE,UP, 
SHFT C, LEFT, D0WN2, SHFT C, UP, LEFT, 
L. BLUE]NAME[BLUE,SHFT B, UP, LEFT, 
CMDR R,D0WN2, LEFT, CMDR E,UP, 
L. BLUE,RVS]M[RVOFF]OVE" 'BDNC 
M$ (2)=LEFT$(M$(1) , 1 17 ) +VN$+RIGHT$ 
{M$(l) ,61) 'FEAT 
N$=" [SPACE15,SHFT B,L. BLUE,RVS, 
BACK ARROW, RV0FF,SPACE21 
CANCEL MODE [BLUE, SHFT B,CMDR Q, 
SHFT C7,CMDR E,CMDR R,SHFT C14] 
" ' BCMW 

N$=N$+"[SHFT +,SHFT C7,CMDR R, 
SHFT C6,CMDR W,SHFT B,L. BLUE,RVS] 
T[RVOFFi TOGGLE [BLUE, SHFT B, 
L. BLUE] [RVS]A[RVOFF] 
TOGGLE ALL [BLUE, SHFT B,L. BLUE] 
fRVS]B[RVOPF] BAR [BLUE, SHFT B] 
"'CEOD 

N$=N$+"{L. BLUE,RVS}D[RVOFF]0 ITl 
[BLUE, SHFT B,CMDR Z,SHFT C8, 
CMDR E,SHFT C14,CMDR E,SHFT C7 , 
CMDR E,SHFT 06, CMDR X]"'CELH 
FOR K=l TO 11:C1$=C1$+NL$ 
iNEXT'GPTH 

DA$="[SHFT C16] "+C1$+CHR$(131) 
+CHR$ (18)+CHRS (1) 'ISGS 
G$="[SPACE15] ":GOTO 145'CGOG 
IF T=0 THEN CLOSE 4:CL=1 
:RETURN'GIAD 

PRINT#15,"U1:";4;0;T;S:GOSUB 730 
:GET#4,T$,S$'DY0K 
GOSUB 730:T=ASC(T$+NL$) 



: S=ASC tS$+NL$ } : RETURN ' IWPJ 

145 PRINT L$M$(1):PRINT VT$(15)" 

[WHITE] INSERT DISK TO BE 

ORGANIZED IN DRIVE 8"'CPgS 
150 PRINT" [DOWN, SPACE6] 

AND PRESS <SPACE> WHEN READY" 'BANI 
155 GOSUB 845: IF ASO" "THEN 155'FJEK 
160 PRINT" [D0WN3,SPACE9] 

NOW LOADING DIRECTORY" :NL$=NL$ 

:T=18:S=0 ' EOBO 
165 OPEN 15,8,15:OPEN 4,8,4,"|" 

:GOSUB 130:GOSUB 130'EWJH 
170 BF=BF+1:IF BF=9 THEN GOSUB 130 

:BF=1:IF CL THEN POKE PO,0 

:GOTO 205'LCPP 
175 PRINTS15,"B-P: ";4;32* (BF-l)+2 

:GOSUB 730'FSLO 
180 GET#4,A$,G$,D$:G0SUB 730 

:IF A$=""AND C$=""AND D$=""THEN 

170'JANN 
185 P1=P1+1+255*[P1=255) :P0KE PC, PI 

:IF D$=""THEN D$=NL$'KECV 
190 FL=FL+1:IF ASC tA$+NL$) >191 THEN 

LK(FL)=1 'IXTO 
195 IF A$=""THEN A$=NL$ :D (FL) =1 ' FOWP 
200 SYS 49152:GOSUB 730 

:FL$ (FL)=H$+A$+C$+D$:GOTO 170'HEEG 
205 P=0:MP%= (FL-1) /36:GOSUB 210 

:GOTO 245'GVIJ 
210 FOR K=24 TO 7 STEP-1:P0KE 781, K 

:SYS 59903:NEXT:FOR K=0 TO I'LWJI 
215 PRINT VT$ (4)" [RIGHT6,L. BLUE] 

"P+1VT$ (8) ; :FOR J = l TO 18'FUFK 
220 FI=P*36+K*18+J:IF K THEN PRINT 

SPCU9) "[BLUE, SHFT B]",-'JPXI 
225 PRINT LK$ (LK(FI) )DL${D{FI) )CH${GH 

(FI) ) " [RED] "LEFT$ (FL$ (FI) ,16) ; 

'CUWO 
230 IF J==18 THEN PRINT" [UP]" 

:GOTO 240'FHBE 
235 PRINT'BACE 
240 NEXT:NEXT:RETURN'DCGC 
245 GOSUB 845:PK=- (A$="U")-2*{A5="L"} 

-3*(A$="D")-4*{A$="M")-5*(A$="A") 

'QFKX 
250 PK=PK-6*(A$="0")-7*(A$="N")-8* 

(A$="B")-9* (A$="R") 'NYVP 
255 IF PK THEN 305'CFAI 
260 IF A$="X"THEN PRINT" [CLEAR] " 

:CLOSE 15:END'GGAH 
265 IF A$="[BACK ARROW] "THEN IS=3-IS 

:PRINT L$M$ (IS) :GOTO 245'HULQ 
270 GOSUB 275:G0T0 245'CHLF 
275 IF A$<>"[F1] "THEN IF A$<>"[F3] 

"THEN IF A$<>" [F5] "THEN IF A$<>" 

[F7]"THEN RETURN'RIBW 
280 Q=P:P=0*(A$="[F1] ")-(AS="[F3] 

")-2*(A$="[F5] ")-3*{A$=" [F71 

"} 'HXFS 
285 IF P=Q THEN BO=0:GOSUB 335:TU=1 

: RETURN 'HOGQ 
290 IF P>MP%THEN P=Q:GOTO 300'FKHK 
295 IF POQ THEN TU=1:G0SUB 210'GJDQ 
300 RETURN:GOTO 245'CEKX 



78 MARCH 1989 



Programming/ BAM Organizer- 



310 



305 PRINT L$N$;:GOSUS 

:GOTO 315'DNIG 
310 PRINT VT$ (4) " [RIGHT6,L, BLUE] 

"P+1G$VT$ (4}SPC(16-LEN (PK$ (PK) ) /2) 

"[L. BLUE] "PK$ (PK) : RETURN 'HMUM 
315 IF PK=5 THEN 570'DGEG 
320 IF PK=6 THEN 640'DGDC 
325 PS=1 :LR=0 :B0=1 'DLMI 
330 GOSUB 335:GOTO 350'CHFC 
335 PRINT VT$ {7+PS) ; :IF LR THEN PRINT 

SPC(20) ; 'GQIH 
340 FI=P*36+LR*18+PS:PRINT 

LK${LK(FI) )DL$ (D (FI ) ) CH$ (CH (FI ) ) 

B0$ (BO) ; 'GCMR 
34 5 PRINT LEFT$ (FL$ (FI) ,16) " [RVOFF] "; 
:RETURN'DOML 
350 POKE 198,0:GOSUB 845'CJCE 
355 IF A$<>" [UP] "THEN 380'EFOL 
360 IF P=0 THEN IF LR=0 THEN IF PS=1 

THEN 350'JLBL 
365 BO=0:GOSUB 335 : PS=PS-1 ' ENBN 
370 IF PS==0 THEN PS = ia :PP=P+ (LR=0 ) 

:LR=2- (LR+1) :IF PP<P THEN P=PP 

iGOSUB 210'PLIX 
375 B0=1:G0SUB 335:G0T0 350'DLXN 
380 IF A$<>" [DOWN] "THEN 405'EFOI 
385 IF P*36+LR*18+PS+1>FL THEN 

350'IPVS 
390 BO=0:GOSUB 335 : PS=PS+1 ' ENAL 
395 IF PS=19 THEN PS=1 : PP=P- { LR=1 ) 

:LR=2- (LR+1) :IF PP>P THEN P=PP 

rGOSUB 210'PLKF 
400 B0=1:G0SUB 335:GOTO 350'DLXC 
405 IF A$<>" [RIGHT] "AND A$<>"[LEFT] 

"THEN 420'HHUJ 
410 IF P*36+(2-(LR+l) )*18+PS>FL THEN 

350'JURJ 
415 BO=0:GOSUB 335 : LR=2- (LR+1 ) :B0=1 

:GOSUB 335:GOTO 3B0'IDMP 
420 IF A$="[BACK ARROW] 

"THEN FOR K=l TO FL :CH (K ) =0 : NEXT 

:PRINT L$H$(IS):GOTO 205'KCKM 

IF A$="B"AND PK=8 THEN 775'FIXK 

IF A$<>"T"THEN 495'EFQE 

IF PK=9 THEN R$="":GOTO 

IF PK04 THEN 465'EGEG 
IF MV=0 THEN MV=FI:GOTO 

IF MV=FI THEN MV=0:GOTO 

GOTO 470'BDKJ 

MV=0:GOSUB 210:GOTO 330'DLFI 



425 

430 
435 
440 

445 
450 
455 
460 
4 65 

470 
475 

477 
480 



483 
485 



490 



790 'FJQL 

4 65'FLCM 
465'FLCI 



CH{FI)=2-(CH(FI)+1) rGOSUB 335 

:GOTO 350'FYCR 

IF FI=MV THEN MV=0:GOTO 465'FLCK 

Z=PK:PK=5:G0SUB 31G:CH(MV)=0 

!T1=D (HV) :T=LK (MV) :TS=FL$ {MV) 'HUSA 

IF MV<FI THEN 485'DHIP 

FOR K=MV TO FI+1 STBP-1 

:LK(K)=LK(K-1) : FL$ (K) =*FL$ (K-1 ) 

:D(K)=D(K-1} 'MSNX 

NEXT: GOTO 490'CEAK 

FOR K=MV TO FI-2:LK (K)=LK (K+1) 

:FL$ (K)=FL$ (K + 1) :D(K)=D(K + 1) 

:NEXT'LSMD 

D{K)=T1:LK(K)=T:FL${K)=T$:MV=0 



ATTENTION 

ALL COMMODORE 64/64C, 

COMMODORE 128/128D 

AND AMIGA OWNERS 



A complete self-tutoring BASIC programming course is 
available that starts with turning your computer on, to 
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now available for the COMMODORE 64/640. 
COMMODORE 128/128D and the AMIGA 500/1000/ 
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I desire the BASIC programming course Q 

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The computer that the course is needed for: 

COMMODORE 64/64C □ COMMODORE 128/128Dn 

AMIGA 500 n AMIGA 1000 D AMIGA 2000 D 

For each desired course, send $24.95 cheque or 
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P.O. Box 1327 or Brantford. Ontario 

Lewiston. New York 14092 N3R 7G7 

Fax: (519)759-7882 Tolcx: 0S1-81260 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 79 



Pragramming/ BAM Organizer' 



:PK=Z:GOSUB 3iO:GOTO 460'HNBU 
495 IF NOT{A$="A''AND PK<4)THEN 

505 'GKDS 
500 FOR Q=l TO PL;CH (Q) =2- (CH (Q) +1 ) 

:NEXT:GOSUB 210:GOSUB 335 

:GOTO 350'KHNM 
505 IF A$<>"D"OR PK=4 THEN 560'GIMK 
510 Z=PK:PK=5:G0SUB 310:PK=Z 

:FOR K=FL TO 1 STEP-1 ;D=D (K) 

:L=LK(K) 'LJOP 
512 IF CH(K)=0 THEN 555'DJRF 
515 IF PK=7 AND D THEN DL=130 

SGOSUB 785*GNIL 
520 IF PK=3 AND L=0 AND D=0 THEN DL=0 

iGOSUB 785'JOOK 
525 IF(PK=1 AND L)0R(PK=2 AND 

L=0)THEN 535'IQUO 
530 GOTO 555 'BDOD 
535 IF D(K}THEN 555'CHBJ 
540 LK(K)=- (PK=2) :E$ = FL$ (K) 

!E1=ASC(MID$(ES,28,1)} 'HIVO 
545 FL$ (K)=LEFT$ (E$,27)+CHR$ {El-64* 

(E1<133)+64*(E1>191) ) 'KKWV 
550 FL$(K)=FL${K)+RIGHT$(E$,2) 'DSYJ 
555 NEXT:A$=" [BACK ARROW]" 

;GOTO 420'DHOH 
560 GOSUB 275: IF TU THEN PS=1:LR=0 

:BO=1;TU=0;GOSUB 335:GOTO 350'JEAR 
565 GOTO 350'BDHL 
570 T=0:S=1:BF=FL'DKVK 
575 A$=FL$ {INT({BF+S)/2) ) :K=S 

:J=BF'GWHU 
580 IF FL$ (K)<A$THEN K=K+1 

:GOTO 580'GPFO 
585 IF FL$ {J)>ASTHEN J=J-i 

:GOTO 585'GPGT 
590 IF K>J THEN 615'DFUL 
595 IF K=J THEN 6I0'DFQQ 
600 T$=FL$(K) :FL$(K)=FL$(J) :FL$(J)=TS 

:P=LK(K} :LK(K)=LK(J) : LK (J ) =P ' GFMQ 
605 T1=D{K) :D (K)=D(J) : D (J ) =T1 ' DWSM 
610 K=K+1:J=J-1:IF K<=J THEN 580'INEJ 
615 IF K>=BF THEN 625'EGFK 
620 F{T)=K:L{T)=BF:T=T+1'EQMI 
625 BF=J:IF S<BF THEN 575'EKFM 
630 IF T=0 THEN 835'DFIG 
635 T=T-1:S=F(T) :BF=L(T) :GOTO 575'FUPQ 
640 GOSUB 770:PRINT SPC ( 11 ) " [UP2 ,RVS] 

ARE YOU SURE (Y/N)?'"DHDN 
645 GOSUB 845'BDUK 

650 IF A$<>"Y"AND A$<>"N"THEN 645'HHLL 
555 IF A$="N"THEN PRINT L$M$(IS) 

:GOTO 205'FQNQ 
660 GOSUB 770:PRINT SPC (12 ) " [RVS ,UP2] 

NOW REWRITING BAM" : PK=5 ' ELOQ 
665 GOSUB 310:T=18:S=0:OPEN 4, 8, 4, "I" 

:GOSUB 130'FVFS 
670 PRINT#15,"B-P:";4;2'BHDK 
675 CT=CT+1:IF CT<145 THEN 690 'POTS 
680 GOSUB 770:PRINT SPC ( 11 ) " [RVS , UP2] 

NOW VALIDATING DISK" 

:PRINTS15,''V"'EL0T 
685 GOSUB 730:CLOSE 4:CL0SE 15 

:PRINT" [CLEAR] FINISHEDl" :END'FKJV 



690 IF EF THEN PRINT#4 , EFS ; 

:G0T0 70 0'EMXN 
695 PRINT#4,RIGHT${FL$ (CT) , 

3)LEFT$ (FL$(CT) ,27) "CD"; 'DBFW 
700 IF CT=FL THEN EF=1'EHWF 
705 P1=P1+1+255*(P1=255} :P0KE P0,P1 

:IF CT/8<>INT(CT/8)THEN 675'NIUW 
710 LS=S+3+17*(S>15) :T=18 

:PRINT#15,"B-P:";4,0'HXGM 
715 IF EF THEN PRINTS4 ,NL$CHRS (255 ) ; 

-.GOSUB 730:GQTQ 725'GVKP 
720 PRINT|4,CHR$(T)CHR$(LS); 

:GOSUB 730'EOHI 
725 PRINTn5,"U2:";4;0;18;S:GQSUB 730 

:S=LS:GOTO 675'EYHQ 
730 INPUT|15,DS,DSS,TN,SN 

:IF DS=.THEN RETURN' FTJL 
735 IF DS026 THEN 760'EHYN 
740 PRINT VT$ (ll)SPC(lO) " [RVS] 

REMOVE W/PROTECT TAB!"'CKBO 
745 PRINT SPC (10> " [RVS,SPACE9] £. 

[SPACE9] ":PRINT SPC (1 3 ) " [RVS] 

PRESS <RETURN>" 'EHJU 
750 GET A$:IF A$<>CHR$ {13 ) THEN 

750'GMHM 
755 CT=0:CLOSE 4:G0T0 660'DJEO 
760 PRINT" [CLEAR]DRIVE 

ERROR . . . PROGRAM ABORTED" 

: PRINT" [DOWN] "DS ;DS$TN; SN ' CMEU 
765 CLOSE 4:CL0SE 15:END'DFF0 
770 FOR K=l TO 3:PRINT 

VT$(10+K)SPC(9) " [RVS,SPACE23] " 

:NEXT:RETURN'IOAT 
775 IF FL=144 THEN 245'DITQ 
780 FL=FL+1:MV=FL:LK(FL)=0:FL$ (FL)=DA$ 

:MP%= tFL-l)/36:GOTO 475'JTXA 
785 D(K)=2-{D(K)+1) : FL$ (K ) =LEFT$ (FL$ 

(K) ,27)+CHR$ (DL)+RIGHT$(FL$(K) , 

2) 'JTBE 
787 RETURN 'BAQQ 
790 PRINT" [BLUE] ":GOSUB 770'CEDM 

794 PRINT VTS (11)SPC(13) "[RVS] 
ENTER NEW TITLE "VT$ (1 3 ) SPC ( 1 3 ) " 
[RVS, BACK ARROW] "; 'DVXY I 

795 GOSUB 845'BDUQ 

800 IF A$="[BACK ARROW] "THEN 835'DFWF 
805 A=ASC(A$) :R=LEN(R$) 

:IF A>31 AND A<91 AND A034 AND 

R<16 THEN 840'QCTW 
810 IP[A=20 OR A=13)AND R>0 THEN 

820 'HNPK 
815 GOTO 795 'BDUJ 
820 IF A=20 THEN R$=LEFT$ (R$ ,R-1 ) 

:PRINT" [LEFT2, RVS, BACK ARROW] 

[LEFT] "; :GOTO 795'ISVP 
825 IF LEN{R$)<16 THEN R$=R$+CHR$ (160 ) 

:GOTO 825'ITVS 
83 FL$ (FI)=R$+RIGHT$ (FL$ (Ft) ,14) 'DVSL 
835 PRINT" [RVOFF] "L$MS (IS) 

:GOTO 205'CMIO 
840 PRINT" [LEFT, RVS] "AS" [BACK ARROW]"; 

:RS=R$+A$;G0TO 795'EOBM 
845 GET A$:IF A$=""THEN 845'EIQP 
850 RETURN 'BAQH END 



80 MARCH 1989 



PROGRAMMING' 



by Keith Leithauser 



Decision 
Maker 

for the Commodore 64 



Decisions, decisions! Some are simple, 
like whether to have chocolate or va- 
nilla ice cream for dessert. Some are more 
compliccited becijuse they involve several 
factors to consider. 

Consider the decision-making process 
involved in selecting which car to buy. In 
choosing between two (or more) cars, you 
must consider price, maintenance costs, 
gas mileage, comfort, even whether each 
car comes in the color you like. But no car 
has them all. How do you compare several 
cars, each of which has several different 
things you like? 

Decision Maker helps you make deci- 
sions in which there are many unrelated 
factors to consider It is something like the 
old concept of listing the pros ands cons of 
each choice, except that it also allows you 
to weigh the importance of each issue. It 
then ciin-ies out a mathematical computii- 
tion that tells you which choice has the 
most of the best features. 

When you run Decision Maker, it will 
ask you for a name for the decision you 
want to make. This is just to give the out- 
put a label. You can input something like 
"Which c<ir should I buy?" or "W^ich job 
should I take?" 

Next, the program asks you how many 
choices there are, and what their names 
are. You can give the choices any names 
you like. ITiis is just to have a label to 
identify them as the pn)gram runs. I sug- 
gest you keep the names under 30 charac- 
ters, because the screen display will be un- 
cluttered later. 

The program then asks you how many 
criteria there are for making the choice. It 
also asks you how many arc cost criteria, 
as opposed to benefit criteria. A cost crite- 
rion is anything for which you want a low 
number. The price of something you 
might buy is one example. Another might 
be the time required to do something. For 
example, suppose you arc considering two 
vacation s])ots that you might drive to this 
sunmier If you do not like to drive, tlie 
driving time to each spot might be consid- 
ered a cost criteria. A benefit criteria is 
anything for which you want a high num- 
ber, such as gas mileage on a car. 

The pn)gram will ask vou for the name 




of each cost criterion and then each bene- 
fit criterion. Then it will display a list of 
these criteria and ask you which is the 
most impoitimt factor in making your de- 

I cision. Input the number of the most im- 
portant criteria and press ENTER. The 

' program will then list each of the other 
criterion and ask you to rate import^mt 
criteria. For exmnple, if comfort of a cai- is 

j the most import;mt thing to you and the 

■ c»st of the car is half as important as com- 
fort, you would input 50 as the importfince 
rating of cost. This is entirely a subjective 
evaluation on your part. 

Next, the program will ask you to give 
the actual value for each of your choices 
for each of the criteria. If the criterion has 
an actual numljer, you can input this 
number For example, for the cost crite- 
rion you could put in the actual price of 
the object. For driving time in the vaca- 
tion example, you could input the number 
of hours of driving. Remember that you 
must use the same units of measure for 
each input for the same criterion. Do not 
put driving time in minutes for one vaca- 
tion spot and hours for another. Also, you 
cannot input zero for any value. If the an- 
swer is zero, input any extrcmely small 
number, such <is .001. 

If the criterion does not have a numeric 
value, you can rate the choices with arbi- 
trary subjective numbers. For example, 
you could rate the driving comfort, of each 
car you are considering from one to ten. 
The most comfortable car would get ten. 
The second most comfortable car would 
not necessarily get a nine. If it was two 
thirds as comfortable as the most comfort- 
able car, it would get a 6.6. 
\Vhen giving subjective numbers, re- 



member that in a cost criterion, you want 
to give a high number to an undesirable 
item. In a benelit criterion, you would 
want to give a high number to a desirable 
item. In the above example, you might 
rate the cars on discomfort, rathei- than 
comfort. You would list discomfort as a 
anst criterion instead of listing comfort as 
a benefit criterion. In this case, the most 
uncomfortable car would get a ten. A car 
that was half as uncomfortable would rate 
a five. 

Some criteria might be yea'no criteria. 
In these cases, you would use a very high 
number to indiaite yes and a veiy low 
number (but not zero) to indicate no, or 
vice versa. For example, in choosing be- 
tween several jobs, one of them might i^ 
quire you to move to another state, which 
you might not want Ui do. You could make 
"must move" one of the cost criteria. You 
could give a one to a jo!> that does not. An- 
other way to do it would be to make "don't 
need to move" a benefit criterion. You 
would give a 1000 to a job that does not re- 
quire you to move, and a one to a job that 
does. 

When you have input the values for all 
the choices for each criterion, the progi'iun 
will rate all youi- choices and give you a 
list. The best choice is at the top of the list, 
the next best is second, and so on. You will 
also get a point rating for each choice, A 
choic-e that has 100 points is twice as good 
as a choice that has 50 jjoints, 

Ailcryou arrive at this list, the pro- 
gram will ask if you want a hard copy of 
the list. Then it will ask you if you want to 
run Decision Maker over If you say yes, 
the program will ask if you want to repeat 
the siime decision. If you say no the pro- 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 81 



Pragramming/ Decision Maker- 



gram will start over from the beginning, ff 
you say yes, the program will retain the 



name of the decision, the names of the 
choices, and the names and types, of all 
criteria. It then allows you to input new 



importance ratings and values. This al- 
lows you to easily experiment with your 
decision. Q 



BefoK lyping iliis pragram, rcaJ "Hnw ui Enicr l»i[if|/iiiiv ' md "How in I'm' ilic Migj/im- 

Knlry I'timram " Tht- BASIC pr(i((r;iim in tliij maj;j^lni' jk .ivaihblt mi disk frum Lujilstaf, 
l*c). 11(11 *(Ktim. slifcvi'piirt, I A 'luiMKiir. i.Kii(i.K,*|.;fi')4. 

IkHiision Maker 

POKE 53281, 0:POKE 53280,0 
:PRINT CHRS(147);CHR${14); 
:GOSUB 1840:PRINT'HIGI 
PRINT:S$=" [SHFT PjRESENTING" 
:GOSUB 1680:PRINT:S$=" [SHFT D] 
ECISION [SHFT M]AKER" 
:GOSUB 1680'GRJN 
PRINT:S$="BY" :GOSUB 1680:PRINT 
:S$="[SHFT DJAVID [SHFT L] 

EITHAUSER" :GOSUB 1680 'GRKM 

PRINT:PRINT:PRINT:GOSUB 1700 'EHFD 

PRINT CHR$(147) iCLR'DGJE 

DIM CH${20) ,C2$ (20) ,E$ (20) ,B$ (20) , 

V(20,50) ,VT(20) ,PC(50) ' BCBQ 

CL=6 'BDSD 

PRINT:GOSUB 1830'CFSF 

S$="[SHFT I]NPUT THE NAME OF THE 
DECISION YOU WANT":GOSUB 1680 'CHDV 

S$="TO MAKE ([SHFT F]OR EXAMPLE, 
CAR TO BUY) " 
'CHOR 
1800'CFPH 
ND$=IS:IF ND$="" THEN 



10 



20 



30 



40 
50 
55 

60 
70 
75 

8 



[SHFT W]HAT 

:GOSUB 1580 

90 PRINT:GOSUB 

100 GOSUB 1850 

100 'FRGB 
110 PRINT'BACV 
120 GOSUB 1820'BEMX 
130 PRINT "tSHFT H]OW MANY CHOICES 

ARE THERE?"; :GOSUB 1850 

:NC=VAL(I$) 'ENWL 
140 IF NC<2 THEN GOSUB 1790 

:GOTO 130'FLRE 
150 FOR X=l TO NC'DEPC 
160 PRINT "[SHFT N]AME OF CHOICE ft";X; 

"?"; : GOSUB 1850 :CH$ (X)=I$'DSCL 
165 IF CH$(X)="" THEN 160'DJKJ 
170 IF LBN(CH$(X))>CL THEN 

CL=LEN (CHS (X) } 'GUNK 
180 NEXT X'BBRD 
190 PRINT "[SHFT H]OW MANY CRITERIA 

FOR MAKING THE CHOICE" 'BADP 
200 PRINT "ARE THERE?" ; :GOSUB 1850 

:CR=VAL (1$) 'ENLE 
205 IF CR<2 THEN GOSUB 1790 

:GOTO 190'FLCG 
210 PRINT CHRS (147) ; iGOSUB 1840 

: PRINT 'EMNB 
220 PRINT " [SPACE3,SHFT S] 

OWE OF THE"CR"CRITERIA ARE 

PROBABLY"'BCRI 
230 PRINT "WHAT WE CALL COST 

CRITERIA. [SHFT TjHIS MEANS"'BAYK 
240 PRINT "ANYTHING THAT WE WANT TO 

MINIMIZE, SUCH"'BAUL 
250 PRINT "AS EXPENSE, TIME REQUIRED 

TO DO" 'BAPJ 
260 PRINT "SOMETHING, ETC. [SHFT S] 

OME OF THE CRITERIA" ' BAJM 
270 PRINT "ARE WHAT WE CALL BENEFIT 



THE NAME 

' i " . V . •' ■? " . 

IT , /> , » t 



OF 



THEN 370'EQAK 



NAME OF 



CRITERIA. [SHFT T]HIS"'BAPO 
280 PRINT "MEANS ANYTHING WE WANT TO 

MAXIMIZE, "'BADO 
290 PRINT "SUCH AS HOW MUCH WE GET 

PAID, COMFORT," 'BAIP 
300 PRINT "HOW MUCH WE ENJOY 

SOMETHING, ETC."'BAQG 
310 PRINT:GOSUB 1820:PRINT "[SHFT H] 

OW MANY OF THE CRITERIA ARE 

COST" 'DGKK 
320 PRINT "CRITERIA?"; :GOSUB 1850 

:CC=VAL(I$) :IF 1$="" THEN 310'HTYK 
330 IF CC<0 OR COCR THEN GOSUB 1790 

:GOTO 310'HPDH 
340 CB=CR-CC'CGCD 
350 IF CC=0 THEN 400'DGUF 
360 FOR X=l TO CC'DEEF 
370 PRINT "[SHFT W] HAT IS 

COST CRITERIA" :PRINT ' 

:GOSUB 1850'DKMR 
380 E$ (X) = I$:IF E${X) = "' 
390 NEXT X'BBRG 
400 IF CB=0 THEN 450'DGYB 
410 FOR X=l TO CB'DEDB 
420 PRINT "[SHFT W] HAT IS THE 

BENEFIT CRITERIA" 'BAXK 
430 PRINT "#";X,- "?"; :GOSUB 1850 

:B$(X)=I$:IF B$(X)="" THEN 

420'GBWK 
440 NEXT X'BBRC 

450 PRINT CHRS (147) ; :GOSUB 1840'DLCH 
455 S$="[SHFT Y]OUR CRITERIA FOR 

MAKING A CHOICE ARE:"'BCXT 
460 GOSUB 1680:PRINT'CFVG 
470 IF COO THEN FOR X=l TO CC 

: PRINT X") "E$(X):NEXT X'lQAO 
480 IF CB>0 THEN FOR X=l TO CB 

:PRINT X+CC") "B$(X):NBXT X'JSSQ 
490 PRINT:GOSUB 1820;PRINT "[SHFT W] 

HICH OF THESE IS THE MOST 

IMPORTANT" 'DGPU 
500 PRINT "(INPUT NUMBER)?"; 

:GOSUB 1850:X=VAL(I$) 'EMUI 
510 IF X<1 OR X>CR THEN GOSUB 1790 

:GOTO 490'HNVH 
520 IF X<=CC THEN T$=E$(X) 

:GOTO 540'GONI 
530 T3=B$ (X-CC) 'CJFF 
540 PC(X)=100'BIBF 
550 PRINT CHR$(147}; :PRINT:PRINT 

:GOSUB 1840:S$=" [SHFT Tl 

HE CRITERIA" :GOSUB 1680 'HVDQ 
560 GOSUB 1830:S$=TS:GOSUB 1680 

iGOSUB 1840 'ETSL 
570 S$="HAS NOW BEEN ASSIGNED AN 

IMPORTANCE" :GOSUB 1680 'CHDS 
580 S$="RATING OF 100. [SHFT Y] 

OU MUST NOW RATE THE" 

:GOSUB 1680'CHFT 
590 S$="OTHER CRITERIA ON A SCALE OF 

1 TO 100":GOSUB 1630 'CHPT 



82 MARCH 1989 



Programming/ Decision Maker' 



600 
610 
620 

630 

640 

650 

660 
670 

660 

690 
700 



710 
720 



730 

740 

750 

760 
770 
780 

790 

800 
810 
820 
830 
840 

850 

860 
870 

880 

890 
900 
910 
920 
930 
940 



S$="COMPARED TO":GOSUB 1680 
:GOSUB 1830:S$=TS:GOSUB 1680 'FWSK 
GOSUB 1840:S$ = " [SHFT F]OR EXAMPLE, 

IF":GOSUB 1680'DMFJ 
IF XOl AND CC THEN T25=ES(1) 
:GOTO 670'HQAJ 

IF XOl AND CC=0 THEN T2$ = BS(1) 
:GOTO 670'IRRL 

IF X=l AND COl THEN T2$ = E$(2) 
iGOTO 670'HRSM 

IF X=l AND CC THEN T2$=B$(1) 
:GOTO 670'GQTM 
T2$=B$ (2) 'BISI 

GOSUB 1830:S$=T2$:GOSUB 1630 
:GOSUB 1840'EUSN 
S$="IS HALF AS IMPORTANT AS" 
:GOSUB 1680:GOSUB I830:S$=T$ 
:GOSUB 1680 'FWRV 

GOSUB 1840:S$="THEN THE RATING OF" 
:GOSUB 1680 'DMSS 
GOSUB 1830:SS=T2$:GOSUB 1680 
jGOSUB 1840:S$="IS 50." 
:GOSUB 1680 'GDUL 
GOSUB 1700*BEJD 
PRINT CHR$ (147) ; :GOSUB 1820 
:S$="[SHFT CJOMPARED TO" 
;GOSUB 1680:S$=T$'GYIP 
GOSUB 1680;S$="WHICH HAS A VALUE 
OF 100,":GOSUB 1680 'DMDO 
S$="HOW IMPORTANT IS" 
jGOSUB 1680 'CHJM 
GOSUB 1820: PRINT: IF CC=0 THEN 
810 'FMBL 

FOR X=l TO CC'DEEJ 
IF PC(X)>0 THEN 800'DJFL 
PRINT ES (X) ; "?"; :GOSUB 18 50 
:PC{X)=VAL (1$) ' EWKQ 
IF PC(X)<1 OR PC(X)>100 THEN 
GOSUB 1790:GOTO 780'HWNT 
NEXT X'BBRC 
IF CB=0 THEN STO'DGFG 
FOR X=l TO CB'DEDG 
IF PC(CC+X)>0 THEN 860'ELDK 
PRINT B$ (X) ;"?"; jGOSUB 1850 
:PC{CC+X)=VALCI$) 'FYFO 
IF PC(CC+X)<1 OR PC(CC+X)>100 
THEN GOSUB 179D:GOTQ 840'JBGS 
NEXT X'BBRI 
PRINT CHR$(147) iPRINT 
:GOSUB 1840'ELEN 
PRINT "[SPACE3,SHFT N] 
OW YOU MUST INPUT THE VALUES 
OF" 'BAXU 

PRINT "EACH CRITERIA FOR EACH 
CHOICE. [SHFT I]F THERE" 'BADW 



PRINT 
SUCH 
PRINT 
VALUE 
PRINT 



'IS AN ACTUAL VALUE, 



AS DOLLARS OR" 'BAIN 

"HOURS, YOU MAY INPUT THIS 

" ' BADN 

" [SHFT I]P THERE IS NO 
NUMERICAL VALUE, YOU MAY"'BAIQ 
PRINT "ASSIGN ARBITRARY VALUES. 
[SHFT FIOR EXAMPLE," 'BAAR 
PRINT "IF YOU LIKE ONE COLOR 



TWICE AS MUCH AS"'BADR 

PRINT "ANOTHER, YOU COULD INPUT A 

VALUE OF 10" 'BAPS 

PRINT "FOR THE COLOR YOU LIKE 

MOST AND 5 FOR" 'BAFT 

PRINT "THE ONE YOU LIKE 

LESS." 'BAQQ 

GOSUB 1700 'BEJM 

FOR X=l TO CR'DETO 

PRINT CHR$ (147) ; :GOSUB 1840 
:S$="[SHFT F]OR THE CRITERIA:" 
:GOSUB 1680 'FTGF 
IF X<=^CC THEN S$=E$(X) 
:GOTO 1030 'GPEB 
1020 S$=B$ (X-CC)+","'DJNY 
1030 GOSUB 1830:GOSUB 1680 'CJNX 

GOSUB 1820:S$="WHAT IS THE VALUE 

FOR":GOSUB 1680 : PRINT ' ENBH 

FOR Y=l TO NC'DEQA 

VT (Y)=0: PRINT CH$(Y);"?"; 
:GOSUB 1850:VT(Y)=VAL(I$) 'FFLJ 

IF VT(Y)=0 THEN GOSUB 1790 

:GOTO 1060 'FPEG 

NEXT Y'BBSB 

IF X>CC THEN 1180'DHNF 

VM=1E30'BGUV 

FOR Y=l TO NC'DEQW 

IF VT(Y)<VM THEN VM=VT (Y ) ' EOHC 

NEXT Y'BBSW 

FOR Y=l TO NC'DEQA 

V(Y,X}=VM/VT(Y) 'CNRD 

NEXT Y'BBSA 

GOTO 1250 'BEPC 

VM=0 ' BDHD 

FOR Y=l TO NC'DEQF 

IF VT(Y)>VM THEN VM=VT (Y) ' EOFB 

NEXT Y'BBSV 

FOR Y=l TO NC'DEQY 

V{Y,X)=VT(Y)/VH'CNRC 

NEXT Y'BBSY 

NEXT X'BBRA 

PRINT CHR$ (147) ; :VM=0'DKUF 

FOR X=l TO NC'DEPE 

VT (X)=0 'BGCF 

FOR Y=l TO CR'DEUG 

VT(X)=VT{X}+PC(Y)*V(X,Y) 'DVKD 

NEXT Y'BBSW 

IF VT(X)>VM THEN VM=VT (X ) ' EODE 

NEXT X'BBRY 

FOR X=l TO NC:C2$(X)=CH$(X) 

:VT(X)=100*VT(X)/VM:NEXT X'IKTN 

FOR X=NC TO 1 STEP -I'FFRF 

Z=0'BCJD 

FOR Y=l TO X'DDJF 

IF VT(Y)=>VT(Y+1) THEN 1400 'FPUK 

Z=VT(Y) :VT(Y)=VT(Y+1) :VT{Y+1}=Z 

:S$=C2$ (Y) 'GKIR 

C2$ (Y)=C2$(Y + 1} :C2$ {Y+1)=S$ 

:Z=-1 'GBGT 

NEXT Y'BBSW 

IF Z=0 THEN 1430 'DGDB 

NEXT X'BBRY 

GOSUB 1840:S$ = " [SHFT F] 

OR THE DECISION" :GOSUB 1680 

:GOSUB 1830'ERBK 



950 

960 

970 

980 
990 
1000 



1010 



1040 

1050 
1060 

1070 

1080 
1090 
1100 
1110 
1120 
1130 
1140 
1150 
1160 
1170 
1180 
1190 
1200 
1210 
1220 
1230 
1240 
1250 
1260 
1270 
1280 
1290 
1300 
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1350 
1360 
1370 
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1395 

1400 
1410 
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1430 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 83 



Programming/ Decision Maker 

1440 S$=ND$:GOSUB 1680:GOSUB 1840 'DPJG 
1450 S$="THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF 

YOUR":GOSUB 1680 'CHNN 
1460 S$="CHOICES, AND THEIR POINT 

VALUES: ":GOSUB 1680 'CHDO 
1470 PRINT: PRINT " [SHFT C]HOICE"; 

TAB(CL+2) ;"[SHPT P] OINTS " ' EHWM 
1480 FOR X=l TO NC'DEPH 

1490 PRINT C2$ (X),■TAB(CL+1); 
INT(VT(X) ) 'ETXM 
1500 NEXT X'BBRX 

1510 PRINT:S$=" [SHFT D] 

YOU WANT HARD COPY":GOSUB 1730 

:IF YN=0 THEN 1620 'GQDM 
1520 OPEN 1,4:PRINTU, " [SHFT F] 

OR THE DECISION" :PRINT#1,ND$'DM0J 
1530 PRINTffl,"THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST 

OF YOUR"'BCRK 
1540 PRINT#1 , "CHOICES, AND THEIR 

POINT VALUES: " 'BCHL 
1550 PRINTll," " :PRINT#1, " [SHFT C] 

HOICE",-:F0R Z = l TO CL+5 

:PRINT#1," ";:NEXT Z'ISOQ 
1560 PRINTfl," [SHFT P] OINTS" ' BCMH 
1570 FOR X=l TO NC'DEPH 
1580 PRINTil,C2$ CX); :FOR Z=l TO 

CL+10-LEN(C2$ (X) ) :PRINT#1," "; 

:NEXT Z'JPWS 
1590 PRINTll,INT (VT(X) ) 'CJCK 
1600 NEXT X'BBRY 



AProDraw 



The Artist's Dream. 



-eatLiiing high resolution 
>u mmagmpnics tal:)let.s 




Fe-t 

SummagmpfiiL.s uiunruT 
will) iwo button stylus 
for the Amiga. 



12 X 12 - $549 
9 X 6 - - $449 
Optional 
cursor - S50 ' 



Dealer inquiries 
are Invited 



R & DL Productions 
11-24 46th Avo. 
L.I.C. NY 11101 
Um 392-4090 



.f;,XC /ri*e^ ^***.„^i«K. ^lr'Cfy><J-' 



1610 CLOSE I'BBIA 

1620 S$="[SHFT R]UN [SHFT DjECISION 

[SHFT M]AKER OVER":GOSUB 1730 

:IF YN=0 THEN 1660'FPUP 
1630 S$="[SHFT R]EPEAT SAME DECISION" 

:GOSUB 1730: IF YN=0 THEN 50'FNCO 
1640 GOSUB 1830:S$=" [SHFT P] 

LEASE WAIT A FEW MOMENTS." 

:GOSUB 1680 'DMCO 
1650 FOR X=l TO 20 : VT (X) =0 ; PC (X) =0 

:FOR Y = l TO 50 :V (X ,Y} =0 ;NEXT Y 

:NEXT X'LKGT 
1655 GOTO 450'BDIK 
1560 S$="[SHFT E]ND [SHFT D]ECISION 

[SHFT M] AKER":GOSUB 1730 

:IF YN=0 THEN 1620'FPVR 
1670 END'BACG 
1680 IF LEN(S$)<39 THEN PRINT 

TAB( (40-LEN(S$) )/2) ;S$ 

: RETURN 'KUHR 
1690 PRINT S$:RETURN'CDPJ 
1700 GOSUB 1830:S$=" [SHFT P] 

RESS SPACE BAR TO CONTINUE." 

:PRINT:GOSUB 1680 "ENON 
1710 GET SS:IF S$<>" " THEN 1710'FJVG 
1720 RETURN 'BAQC 
1730 YN=0;SS=S$+" ([SHFT Y]/{SHFT Nj 

)?":GOSUB 1820 'ENRL 
1740 IF LEN(SS)<39 THEN PRINT 

TAB( (40-LEN(S$) )/2) ;S$; 

;GOTO 1760 'KALP 
1750 PRINT S$; 'BDYG 
1760 GET S$:IF S$<>"[SHFT Y] 

" AND S$<>"Y" AND S$<>"[SHFT N] 

" AND S$<>"N" THEN 1760'OPDV 
1770 PRINT S$:GOSUB 1800 

:IF S$="[SHFT Y] " OR S$="Y" THEN 

YN=-1'JPSR 
1780 RETURN'BAQI 
1790 GOSUB 1810:S$=" [SHFT I] 

NVALID ANSWER" :GOSUB 1680 

iGOSUB 1820:RETURN'FSUU 
1800 POKE 646,3:RETURN:REM BLUE'DLDF 
1810 POKE 646,10:RETURN:REM RED'DLWG 
1820 POKE 646,4:RETURN:REM PURPLE'DNAI 
1830 POKE 646,7:RETURN:REM YELLOW'DNHJ 
1840 POKE 646, 1:RETURN:REM WHITE'DMPJ 
1850 IS="":II$="":GOTO 1920 'DLEK 
1860 GET II$:IF 11$="" THEN ISeO'ELYL 
1870 IF II$=" "OR{II$=>"A"AND 

II$< = "Z")OR(II$==>"#"AND II$<=" 

[SHFT Z]")THEN 1920'PXIY 
1880 IF II$=CHR$(13) THEN 1930'ELBN 
1890 IF II$<>CHRS{20) OR LENCI$)=0 

THEN 1860 'IQRS 
1900 PRINT " ";CHR${157);CHR${157); 

CHR$(162) ;CHR$ (157); ' FAAK 
1910 I$=LEFT$ (I$,LEN{I$)-1J 

:GOTO 1860'FRQJ 
1920 I$=I$ + II$:PRINT 11$; CHR$ ( 162 ) ,- 

CHR$ (157) ; :IF LEN(I$)<80 THEN 

1860 'JKXR 
1930 PRINT " ": RETURN 'CBDG 



84 MARCH 1989 



128 MODE" 

Sequencer 

Explore the Commodore 128 in its 
powerful native mode. Some of 
the articles in this colmnn 
may be technical, some not so 
technical — but we g^uarantee that 
they will spark your creativity. 



rigH? 



J uick, who was the fourteenth PresJ- 
' dent of the United States? Gotcha, 
ighf? How about this: who came first, 
Jackson or Cleveland? If you're thinking, 
"How can one city come before another?" 
then you need Sequencer, the program in- 
cluded here. 

Sequencer will help you — and any 
young ones in your family— to learn the 
sequential order of people, events or any 
list of items that has a first, second, third 
order. It does it in a fun manner, via a 
game which you can either play alone or 
against a friend. 

How to Play 

In the solo mode the goal is simply to 
find the correct sequence of items in a ran- 
domly-mixed list in the shortest time pos- 
able. The player uses his joystick to scroll 
through whatever list was selected until 
he finds the first item. He presses the fire 
button and, if he's guessed right, it records 
on a window at the bottom of the screen. 
The scrolling window, in the upper left of 
the screen, consists of large letters which 
are easily readable even as it scrolls by. 

Another scrolling window is in the up- 
per-right part of the screen. The computer 
controls this window. It simply scrolls 
merrily along until the user gets stuck 
and needs help. By pushing his joystick to 
the right, he orders the computer to scroll 
to the correct item and select it. It's a help 
screen of sorts and somethmg that will be 
used a lot in the early stages of learning 
lists. 

In the two-player mode, a second person 
controls this second window. Then it's sim- 
ply a matter of who finds the next item on 
the list first. Credit is given to the player 
who correctly selects each item. The way 
this happens is when a player finds the 
correct choice and fires, the item will ap- 
pear on the sequentially -correct list at the 
bottom of the screen with a check mark on 
the side of the player who found it. A tally 
is kept of how many corrart items each 
player finds. 

In both modes, as the correct items are 




selected fitim the random list, they are 
withdrawn. This means that at the begin- 
ning of play things go a little slower (it 
takes a while just to cycle through 66 
books of the Bible). But as you near com- 
pletion, things speed up considerably. 
Also, whoever selects the nextrto-the-last 
item is credited with the final one. 

Since the timer works in both modes, a 
pair of players can work together to aim- 
pete against the clock, or they can work 
against each other to see who accumulates 
the most check marks. Either way, in the 
spirit of competition, knowledge is ac- 
quired. 

Once the round is over, the completed 
list can be examined (it scrolls also) as a 
kind of follow-up study guide. Of course, 
players have the option to play again. 

Lists, Glorious Lists 

All arcade-type games instill learning 
in the process. The trouble is, the learning 
is often limited to the gameplay itself. 
Good educational software seeks to use 
this natural learning envirorunent to plug 
in information that is useftil to learn. 

What's useftd? A three-year-old might 
find it usefiil to sequence the numbers one 
to ten or the ABC's. Sunday schoolers are 
often awarded prizes for learning the 
books of the Bible in order. High school 



! students could vfork on alphabetical order, 
the arrangement of planets from the sun, 
! or, as suggested abeady, presidents. 
Sports nuts could arrange a list of pen- 
nant winners. History bufis might se- 
quent wars. Geography specialists could 
even arrange lists of cities or countries 
fi^m east to west. All of us could stand a 
httle refi:eshing in some area. (Which is 
closer to the sun, Uranus or Neptune? See 
what I mean?} In brief, anything that can 
be listed in order is a candidate for this 
game. 

Before you play it, you (or someone) 
needs to type in the lists of sequential 
items. Where do you get the lists? TVy an 
almanac— they l^ve tons of fists in them. 
Encyclopedias and dictionaries are an- 
other good source of sequential informa- 
tion. 

The program has a built-in editor which 
si\Q/wa you to double-check spellings and 
order before saving them to disk. A couple 
of limitations are in order. First, each item 
can have no more than 12 characters. 
Thus, if you're typing in the books of the 
Bible, youll ne«l to invent an abbrevia- 
tion for "n Thessalonians" (16 characters), 
TVy something like "11 Thessalns." 

The second limit is that you are only al- 
lowed 75 itema in a list. Actually, you will 
seldom want a list near that long, as it's 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 85 



128 Mode/Sequencer 

too frustrating to go through. In the case 
of lists of over 50 or so, you might want to 
type in two separate lists. After having 
played the game, I've come to feel that 
lists under ten items are too easy and lists 
over 40 items start getting too diificult. Of 
course, if the list has only seven or eight 
items in it (like the planets of our solar 
system), then so be it. The program allows 
for 75 separate lists. You can add them 
anytime you run the prognun. 

If this program looks long enough for 
you to dismiss as un-type-in-able, I apolo- 
gize. I would have made it even longer (to 
add more convenience), but 23 blocks is 
about maximum for a magazine to pub- 
lish. You can always purchase the Load- 
star disk which has the program (and the 
other programs in this iss\ie) on it already. 
However, 1 encoui'age you to get it some- 
how, especially if you are a parent. 

As always, when entering the program, 
use the Magazine Entry Program at the 



I back of this issue to ensure you have no 
errors. And please, save this one before 
you run it for the first time. It contains a 
machine-language interrupt routine 
which can lock your computer up if you 
don't have all your data typed in right. If 
it's saved and you lock up, you can always 
reset the computer, reload the program 
and debug. 

Sprite Text-ure 

Programmers may want to know how 
the program does its text scroll. The tech- 
nique is rather complicated, hut here's a 
brief explanation. 

I The scrolling text you see is nothing 
more than foiu- sprites side by side. The 
vertical expand feature was enabled to 
make the letters taller The tex-t is stored 
in a very strange, but simple, manner— 
on the graphic screen, lb see this, after se- 
lecting the file you want, break the pro- 
gram by pressing RUN/STOF-RESTX)RE. 

! Then type GRAPHIC 1 and press RE- 



TURN. What you'll see is the list of times 
printed vertically on the graphic screen 
with a space between each letter 

By placing the text on the graphics 
screen, it's easy to steal the graphic 
makeup of each character. A machine- 
language routine is constantly (eveiy 1/60 
of a second) moving through this list and 
cop}'ing the data into the sprite memory 
locations. The result is a smoothly-scroll- 
ing text list that would have been very dif- 
ficult to achieve without using sprites. 

Sprites arc the reason, by the way, that 
there is a 12-chardcter limit on items be- 
cause each sprite only allows for 24 pixels, 
the equivalent of three characters. 

Okay, back to the important stuff: who 
was first, Jackson or Cleveland? Andrew 
Jackson was our seventh President, Gro- 
ver Cleveland our twenty-second. And 
twenty-fourth. That's right, he was ousted 
between teiTns. I wouldn't have remem- 
bered that if I hadn't played Sequencer. 
How about you? g 



Befort^ typing ihi^ pru^rim. rciid "I low It) haiv^ I'i'ograins" and "Mow to Dsc [he Magazine 
Enrry PriiKrani." Tilt HASK', prosfims in thiv fii,i|4Jilne Sfi- iviiihhli- on disk [rum l.uadsiar. 
P.O. [lim 3(11)()8, .Slircvtpntt. U ■'ll;l(MHlir. I .Hill). KM. 2694. 

Sequencer 128 

10 GRAPHIC 0,1. -KEY 8,""'CGCA 

20 DIM Fl$(80) ,PF$ (80) ,R1(80) ,RR(80) , 
F2$ (80) 'BMYF 

30 LC$=CHR$ (14) :E$=CHRS (27) 'EOIE 

40 P1=3313:P2=3 314:P3=256:P4=8206'EBEI 

50 FOR T=l TO 40:Z$=Z$+CHR$ (0) 

:DA$=DA$+" : " :SS$=SS$+" " iNEXT'LCTO 

60 SPS=LEFT$(SS$,12) : FSS=LEFT$ (SS$ , 20 ) 
:Z$=Z$+Z$'GFVN 

70 LE$="ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXyz 
[SHFT A,SHFT B,SHFT C,SHFT D, 
SHFT E,SHFT F,SHFT G,SHFT H,SHFT I, 
SHFT J, SHFT K,SHFT L,SHFT M,SHFT N, 
SHFT 0,SHFT P,SHFT Q,SHFT R,SHFT S, 
SHFT T,SHFT U,SHFT V,SHPT W,SHFT X, 
SHFT Y,SHFT Z] -1234567890 "-t-CHR$ 
(20)+CHR$ (13)+CHR$ (27) :CH$ (1)=" " 
:CH$(2)=" "'JEXV 

80 FOR T=0 TO 250: READ A$ 

jPOKE 3059+T,DEC(A$) :NEXT'IUNN 

90 FOR T=0 TO 157:READ A$ 

:POKE 3328+T,DEC{A$) jNEXT'IUSO 

100 FOR T=0 TO 15:READ A:POKE 3312+T,A 
rNEXT'HPGC 

110 COLOR 0,1:COLOR 4,12'ClMy 

130 DO'BAJX 

140 B${1)="1-[SHFT ClREATE FILE" 
:B$ (2) = "2-[SHFT PjLAY GAME" 
iGOSUB 190'DPHL 

A=VAL(A$) 'EIQE 
1480,270 'CJPD 



150 
160 
170 
190 

200 



GET KEY A$i 
ON A GOSUB 
LOOP'BAKC 
COLOR 5,15: 
" 'CFIH 
FOR T=l TO 



PRINT" [H0ME2, CLEAR] 
4:CHAR,8,T,LEFT$ (DA$, 



24) ,1:NEXT'GUNE 
210 COLOR 5,16'BEYX 
220 FOR T=l TO 2 :X$=B$ (T) ' ELBD 
230 G=22-LEN(X$) ;CHAR,9,T+1, 

LC$+LEFT$ (LEFTS (SP$ ,G/2 ) +X$+SP$ , 
22) 'LKIO 
240 NEXT'BAEA 
250 RETURN 'BAQB 
270 TT=0 'BDME 

280 D0PEN|2,"SEQFILES"'BE0H 
290 INPUT#2,A$:FF${TT)=HID$(A$,4> ' DSMK 
300 IF ST=0 THEN TT=TT+1 :GOTO 290'GMUD 
310 DOLOSE 'BBNY 

330 COLOR S,6:GRAPHIC 0,1'CHJD 
340 CHAR 1,4,0, "[SHFT C] 

URSOR TO FILE AND PRESS [SHFT R, 
SHFT E,SHFT T.SHFT U,SHFT R, 
SHFT N] " 'BGUP 
350 FOR T=2 TO 23 : CHAR , 13 , T , " [SPACE14 ] 

" 1 : MEXT ' FOPJ 
360 WINDOW 14,3,25,22,1'BNQG 
370 PRINT E$"M"; "BDNF 
380 FOR T=0 TO 19 : CHAR , ,T , FF$ (T) 

:NEXT'FRWL 
390 CHAR,0,0,FF$ (0) ,1:C=0:D=0 

:TS=0 'EXLN 
400 DO'BAJX 
410 GET KEY A$'CCEA 
420 IF A$=" [UP] "THEN C=C-1 

:IF C<0 THEN C=0 ' JKPI 
430 IF A$=" [DOWN] "THEN C=C+1 

:IF OTT THEN C=TT:GOTO 470'KQLL 
440 IF A$=CHR$ (13)THEN EXIT'FGCG 
450 IF OTS+19 THEN PRINT E$"V" 

jTS=TS+1 'HNDL 
460 IF C<TS THEN PRINT ES"W" 

:TS=TS-1 'GLML 
470 CHAR,0,D-TS,FF$ (D) : CHAR , ,C-TS , 

FF$ (C) ,1 'EEOO 
480 D=C'BCGH 



86 MARCH 1989 



128 Mode/Sequencer 

490 LOOP'BAKH 

510 FILE$=FF$ (C) 'BLHD 

520 D0PEN#2,"SQ."+ (FI$) :N=1'DMVG 

530 INPUT»2,F1$ (N) 'BICE 

540 IF ST=0 THEN N=N4-1:G0T0 530'GKMJ 

550 DCLOSE'BBNF 

560 HL=8192+N*8:POKE 3319, HL AND 255 

:POKE 3320,HL/256'HFSQ 
580 B${1)=" [SPACE3] 1 OR 2 [SHFT P] 

LAYERS? [SPACE4] ":B$(2)=FS$ 

:GOSUB 190'DSMR 
590 GET KEY A$ :NP=VAL (A$ ) 

:IF NP02 THEN NP = 1'JQLS 
610 FAST:FOR T=l TO N:RR(T)=T 

:NEXT'GNAI 
620 Z=M:FOR T=l TO N ' EGLG 
630 R=INT (RND(l) *Z+1) ' FIOI 
640 Rl [T)=RR(R) ' BKHH 
650 FOR I=R TO Z : RR {I ) =RR (I + l ) 

sNEXT'GQCM 
660 Z=Z"1:NEXT'DEDI 
680 GRAPHIC 1,1'BDHJ 
690 FOR T=l TO N+3:Tl=T-3 

:IF TKl THEN T1=N+TI'LSDU 
700 T2=T-1:T3=0:IF T2>40 THEN T2=T2~40 

:T3=1'JXFM 
710 FOR 1=0 TO 11:CHAR,T2,I*2+T3, 

LC$+MID$(F1${R1 (Tl) ) ,1+1,1) 

INEXT'KLIQ 
720 NEXT:GRAPHIC O'CCBE 
740 SLOWiCOLOR 5,i5:COLOR 4,7 

rPRINT E$"M[H0ME2] " 

:GRAPHIC 0,1'FRZN 
750 FOR T=0 TO 5 iCHAR , ,T, SS$ , 1 

:NEXT'FPXM 
760 CHAR,0,6," [SPACE3,CMDR yi4,SPACE6, 

CHDR Y14,SPACE3] " ,1 'BHXF 
770 COLOR 5,7:CHAR,0,7,SS$,1'COUM 
780 WS$=" [BLUE,SPACE10,GRAY3,SPACE20, 

BLUE,SPACE10] " ' BDOQ 
790 COLOR 5,15:FOR T=8 TO 23 

: CHAR, 0,T,WS$,1: NEXT 'GVJS 
800 FOR T=0 TO 1 :CHAR,T*30 , 7 , " 

[SHFT P]LAYER"+STR$ (T+1) ,1 'IREN 
810 FOR J=l TO 5:CaAR,T*20+3,J, 

LEFT$ (SS$,14) :NEXT' IVVM 
8 20 CHAR,3+T*20,3,"> [SPACE12]<" 'DIJJ 
830 NEXT'BAEF 
840 IF MP=1 THEN CHAR, ,9 , " [CYAN , 

SHFT P]USH RIGHT", 1 

:CHAR,0,10," FOR [SHFT H,SHFT E, 

SHFT L,SHFT P] ",1'FTFV 
850 COLOR 5,7:CHAR,0,24,SS$,1 

:CHAR,17,24," [SHFT T]OTALS" ,1 ' DAAR 
860 CHAR, 13,0, LC$+" [SHFT F] 

IRE WHEN READY ",1'CLAQ 
870 IF J0Y(1)<128 AND JOY{2)<12a THEN 

870 'HPPQ 
890 COLOR 5,15:CHAR,0,0,SS$,1 

sCHAR,2 0-INT(LEN(FI$)/2) ,0,FI$, 

I'HKFX 
900 FOR T=l TO 8:SPRSAV ZS ,T: NEXT ' FKFI 
910 Y(1)=0:Y(2)=0:H=N:CC=1:TS=1 

:H=0'GAHO 
920 0F=1:G0SUB 1220'CIEI 



930 TI$="000000":POKE 3071 ,NP-1 ' DMSL 
940 SYS DEC("0C2B") :POKE 248, 

PEEK(248)OR 64 ' FORO 
950 DO:F0R P=l TO 2:J=J0Y(P) 

:PV=(P-13*3'JRQT 
970 COLOR 5,7:CHAR,18,7,MID$ (TI$,4, 

l)+":"+RIGHT$(TI$,2) ,1'GDWU 
980 IF J=128 THEN GOSUB 1250'EIEP 
990 IF NP=1 AND J=3 THEN POKE 3327,4 
:H=l:PV=3:P=2:GOSUB 1250 
:POKE 3327,2'LIXB 
1000 IF CON-1 THEN EXIT'FECW 
1010 NEXT: LOOP 'CBRU 
1030 GOSUB 1370:POKE 208,0'CKFY 
1040 aF=0:GOSUB 1220'CIDA 
1050 CHAR,2,3," [L. RED, SPACE4 , SHFT Ul 

SE JOYSTICK TO SCROLL LIST 

[SPACE4] ",1 'BHWJ 
1060 CHAR, 2, 4," [SHFT P] RESS [SHFT Y] 
TO REPEAT, [SHFT S] 
FOR NEW LIST " ,1'BHHL 
1070 WINDOW 10,8,29,23:PRINT'CMPD 
1080 DO:J=JOY (1) :IF J=0 THEN 

J=JOY (2) 'IMMJ 
1090 IF J=l THEN BEGIN:IF TS=1 THEN 

1180'HLCJ 
1100 TS=TS-1'CFTV 
1110 CHAR,0,0,E$+"W[GRAY3] "+F2$ (TS) , 

1 'DQBB 
1120 BEND'BBXW 
1130 IF J=5 THEN BEGIN: IP TS+14>N 

THEN 1180'INYF 
1140 TS=TS+1'CFSA 
1150 CHAR,0,15,E$+"V"+F2$ {TS+15) , 

1 'ETPG 
1160 BEND'BBXB 
1170 GET Y$:IF Y$="S"OR Y$="Y"THEN 

SYS 3473:EXIT' IMTJ 
1180 LOOP'BAKC 

1190 POKE 208,0: IF Y$="Y"THEN 560'ELDI 
1200 RETURN 'BAQU 
1220 FOR T=l TO 4:M0VSPR T,T*24+32,58 

:MOVSPR T+4,T*24+192,58 

:SPRITE T, OF, 5,0,0,1 

: SPRITE T+4 , OF, 11, 0,0,1: NEXT ' OKBT 
1230 RETURN'BAQX 
1250 X=INT ( ( (PEEK (P2+PV) *P3 ) +PEEK 

(Pl+PV)-P4)/8)+l:IF X<1 THEN 

X=X+M'QGRS 
1260 IF H THEN BEGINiIF R1(X)<>CC 

THEN 1250 'HORI 
1270 H=0:POKE 3325 , 100 ' CLHF 
1280 BEND'BBXE 

1290 IP R1(X)=CC THEN BEGIN'EIVI 
1300 SOUND 1,5000*P,2:GOSUB 1370'DOGA 
1310 FOR T=X TO M : Rl (T) =R1 (T+1 ) 

:NEXT'GQME 
1320 M=M-1:SYS 3328 , M, X+2 ' ENSD 
1330 HL=8192+M*8:P0KE 3319, HL AND 255 

:POKE 3320,HL/256'HFRK 
1340 BEND'BBXB 
1350 RETURN 'BAQ8 

1370 WINDOW 10,8,29,23:PRINT'CMPG 
1380 CHS (P)=" [SHFT @] " :CC$=RIGHT$ 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 87 



128 Mode /Sequencer- 



1390 
1400 



1410 

1420 

1430 
1440 
1450 

1460 
1480 



1490 
1500 
1510 
1520 

1530 
1540 
1560 



1570 
1580 

1590 
1600 

1620 

1630 

1640 
1650 
1660 
1670 

1680 
1690 
1710 
1720 

1730 
1740 
1750 

1760 
1780 
1790 

1800 

1810 



1820 
1830 
1840 



(SS$+STR$(CC) ,2) 'FVRM 

F$=LEFTS {Fl$ (CC)+SS$,13) ' DROK 

F2$(CC)=" "+CH${1) 

+CC$+"-"+FS+CH$ (2)+" " 

:CH$(P)=" "'IGWJ 

IF CC-TS>15 THEN TS=TS+1 

:PRINT E$"V"'HORG 

CHAR,0,CC-TS," [GRAy3] "+F2$ (CC) , 

I'DREF 

PRINT"[H0ME2] "'BAPA 

Y (P)=y (P)+l :CC=CC+1 'EPIH 

CHAR, (P-D* 16 + 1 0,24, "[BLUE] 

"+STR$ (Y(P) ) ,1'GVDK 

RETURN 'BAQD 

B$ (1) = " [SPACE3,SHFT B] 

EGIN TYPING LIST [SPACE2] " 

:B$(2)=" [SHFT PlRESS [SHFT E] 

SCAPE TO EXIT ":GOSUB 190'DPJW 

N=l 'BCXH 

DO:GOSUB 1780'CPEA 

IF P066 THEN EXIT'FDMD 

F1${N)=F5:N=N+1:IF N=76 THEN 

EXIT'HQBI 

LOOP'BAKB 

TN=N;IF F1${N)=""THEN TN=N-1'G0TJ 

B$<1)='' [SHFT E]DIT WITH DELETE 

KEY ":B$(2)=" [SHFT R,SHFT E, 

SHFT T,SHFT U,SHFT R,SHFT U] 
FOR NEXT ITEM ":GOSUB 190'DPDX 

N=l 'BCXG 

F$=F1$(N) :BX$=LEFT$ (F$+SP$,12) 

:C=LEN(F$)+1'HELR 
Q$=" . " iGOSUB 1790 :Q$ = "" 'DKDL 
IF N<TN AND P=66 THEN F1$(N)=PS 

:N=N+1:GOTO 1580 'JXJK 

CHAR, 13, 8," [SHFT T] 

YPE FILE NAME"'BGDH 

C=l :F$="" :BX$=SP$ 'DMLG 

GOSUB 1820'BEME 

D0PEN#2,"SQ."+{F$) ,W'CKWI 

FOR T=l TO TN'DEDH 

PRINTS 2, CHR$ (34)F1${T) 

:F1$ (T)=""'DTYL 

NEXT'BAEH 

DCLOSE'BBNJ 

TT=0:APPENDI2,"SEQFILES'"CIFG 

IF DS>0 THEN DCLEAR 

:D0PEN#2,"SEQFILES",W'FLFK 

PRINT#2,CHR$(34)"SQ."F$'CIEG 

DCLOSE'BBNF 

FOR T=8 TO 11:CHAR,10,T,FS$ 

iNEXT'FPTL 

RETURN 'BAQG 

COLOR 5,6'BDAJ 

FOR T=l TO 3:CHAR,13,8+T, 

LEFTS (DA$,14) ,1:NEXT'HWAS 

IF Q$=""THEN C=1:F$="" 

:BX$=SP$'GOTI 

COLOR 5,8:CHAR,16,8,"[SHFT I]TEM 

[SPACE2] #"+MID5 (STR$ (N) ,2)+" 

[SPACE2i " 'GRRM 

COLOR 5,6:CHAR,14,10,BX$'COJH 

DO'BAJE 

GET KEY A$:P=INSTR(LE$,A$) 

:IF P=0 THEN 1840 'HTRO 



1850 IF P==65 THEN BEGIN:C=C-1 

:IF C<1 THEN C=1'KNMP 
1860 F5=LEFT$(F$,C-1) :CHAR,13+C,10," " 

:GOTO 1920'GXHP 
1870 BEND'BBXJ 

1880 IF P=66 AND F$=""THEN 1920'FJEO 
1890 IF P>65 THEN EXIT ' EDNN 
1900 F$=F$+A$:CHAR,13+C,10,A$'ERXI 
1910 C=C+1:IF 012 THEN C=12'GKUJ 
1920 LOOP'BAKS 
1930 RETURN'BAQF 
1950 DATA AD,FF,B,D0,3,A9,lr6O,AD,,DC, 

60, 'BGQO 
1960 DATA A2, ,86,FE,A0, ,B1,FB,9D,C0,F, 

E8,E8,E8,C8,E0'BROR 
1970 DATA 40,90,F3,18,A5,FB,69,80,85, 

FB ,A5 , FC , 59 , 2, 85 , FC BVMT 
1980 DATA E6,FE,A5,FE,E0,3,D0,DC,60, 

EA,EA,78,A9,3D,8D,14 'BVQU 
1990 DATA 3,A9,C,8D,15,3,A9,2,8D,F6,C, 

58, 50, A2, 3, 20 'BQVT 
2000 DATA F3,B,CE,F6,C,D0,B,AD,FF,C, 

8D,F6,C,A2,0,AD'BgiD 
2010 DATA 1,DC,29,F,49,F,9D,F0,C,DE, 

FA,C,DO,6 0,BD,FB'BRNE 
2020 DATA C, 9D , FA,C , EA,BD, FO ,C , F0,54 , 

C9, 1,00,24, 38, BD'BSNF 
2030 DATA Fl ,C , E9 , 1 , 9D , Fl ,C , BO , 3 ,DE , 

F2,C,BD,F2,C,C9'BQRG 
2040 DATA 20 ,B0 ,C , AD , F7 ,C, 9D, Fl ,C, AD, 

F8,C,9D,F2,C,4C'BRIH 
2050 DATA AB , C, 18 , FE, Fl , C , DO , 3 , FE , F2 , 

C,BD,F2,C,CD,F8 'BROI 
2060 DATA C, 90 , 8 ,BD, Fl ,C,CD ,F7 ,C, BO , 

15,BD,F9,C,8D,A'BQUJ 
2070 DATA C , BD, PI ,C, 85 , FB , BD, F2,C,85 , 

FC,20,CE,C,4C,65'BSMK 
2080 DATA FA, A9 , , 9D, Fl ,C,A9 , 20 , 9D,F2 , 

C,4C,AB,C,A9, 'BPAL 
2090 DATA 8D, 9 ,C , 20 , , C, A9 , 40 ,8D,9 ,C, 

20,,C,A9,80'BMRL 
2100 DATA 8D,9,C,20,,C,A9,C0,8D,9,C, 

4C, ,C'BGAB 
2120 DATA 78,85,4F,85,4D,8A,A8,A9,C, 

85,4E,2 0,5D,D,20,66'BUMG 
2130 DATA D, 20, 75, D, 18, 69, 8, 85, FD, 90, 

2,E6,FE,20,7E,D'BREH 
2140 DATA 20,88,D,E8,EO,50,DO,EC,A4, 

4D,A6,4D,C6,4E,D0,DE'BVYJ 
2150 DATA EA,A2,C,20,5D,D,A4,4F,20,66, 

D,20,75,D,20,5D'BSUJ 
2160 DATA D,AO,17,20,80,D,AO,50,20,66, 

D,1B,A5,FD,69,80'BTFK 
2170 DATA 85,FD,A5,FE,69,2,S5,FE,CA, 

D0,E6,58,60,A9,,85'BTML 
2180 DATA FB,A9,20,85,FC,60,18,A5,FB, 

59,8,8 5,FB,9 0,2,E6'BUOM 

2190 DATA FC,88,D0,F2,60,A5,FC,85,FE, 

A5,FB,85,FD,60,A0,7' BVQO 
2200 DATA Bl , FD, 91 , FB , 88 , 10 , F9 , 60 ,A5 , 

FE , 8 5 , FC , A5 , FD , 85 , FB ' BWRG 
2210 DATA 60,78,A9,65,8D,14,3,A9,FA, 

8D,15,3,58,60'BORF 
2230 DATA 1 , , 32 , 2 , , 32 , , , , 14 , 1 , 1 , 1 5 , 1 , 

1,2'BFFF ,|mB, 



88 MARCH 1989 



AMIGA UPDATE" 



Professional 
Genlocks for 
the Amiga 



The Amiga has rapidly become an ac- 
cepted alternative to expensive char- 
acter generators, animation systems and 
paint systems in professional \ideo appli- 
cations. Its powerful graphics co-proces- 
sors, wealth of software and ease of use 
have given it a strong price/performance 
edge over dedicated video products. Large 
numbers of industrial, corporate and cable 
video producers have purchased Amigas 
for use in a video production environment. 

One key to the Amiga's usefulness in a 
video environment is the ease with which 
it produces real video, Mtst computer sys- 
tems' output cannot be easily converted to 
true "broadcast-quality" video, nor can 
their output be genlocked to the rest of the 
video sources in a production environ- 
ment. 

Amiga genlocks actually perform sever- 
al fimctions. First, they convert the RGB 
output from the Amiga into composite 
video. This process is known as encoding 
to NTSC. The "broadcast" standard for 
NTSC is known as RS-170A, a comphcat- 
ed set of specifications to which a video 
signal must adhere. These specifications 
include sync and black burst, subcanier 
to horizontal phase (SC-H), color framing, 
setup level, gain and other critical ele- 
ments. 

Secondly, they lock the timing of the en- 
coded Amiga-generated video to that of an 
external video signal. This is what the 
video industry calls "genlocking," It is es- 
sential if you are going to mix or edit two 
or more video sources together. If you cut 
or fade from one video source to another 
that are not genlocked together, the image 
will jump or roll during the cut or fade. 
Generally every video source in a produc- 
tion environment is genlocked to a master 
sync generator (house s>'nc). 

Thirdly, they allow you to overlay your 
Amiga-generated graphics on top of an in- 
coming video image. At the simplest level 
this is done by replacing the Amiga's color 
image with the incoming video signal, 
but some more sophisticated hardware al- 
lows other options. Some systems offer 
shder controls or switehes to vary the 




bf Matthew Leeds 



amount of overlay or the timing of a con- 
trolled fade-in or fade-out of the mix. 
Some also allow software control of these 
features. 

Fve had the opportunity to test and use 
three high-end Amiga-specific genlocks: 
SuperGen, Magni 4004 and GEN/ONE. 
Each was connected to a vector scope and 
waveform monitor (test equipment for 
measuring compliant to NTSC stan- 
dards and quality of video signals) for 
quantitative testing, and each was also 
connected to a videotape recorder for 
qualitative testing (I looked at the result- 
ing tape for color fringing, rainbowing and 
other artifacts). 

Below is a table of information on the 
three genlocks. It is by no means complete 
in the sense of covering every aspect you 
should consider in evaluating a genlock, 
but it does give you some quick data on 
each genlock. 





Mwl 


SupaGen 


fiEN.ONE 


O^-erlay output 


1 


2 


2 


Key OQtput 


1 


1 


1 


EGEpasEthiu 


Y 


Y 


Y 


Reveiselrey 


Y 


Y 


Y 


Loop \idB) 


K 


Y 


Y 


YC input 


N 


N 


N 


y.C output 


N 


N 


Y 


Rawer supply 


Amiga 


Amiga 


EntCTTUll 


Adjust timing 


N'otcdsy 


Void 
Warranty 


E^y 


Software control 


Y 


Y 


N 


Fade controls 


OpMm] 


Y 


N 


LuimnaniE fiide 


Y 


Y 


.M 


Blanking select 


Y 


Y 


Y 


CPIrontioI 


Y 


N' 


N 



A short explanation of some of the 
items in the table may help. The overlay 
output is the combined Amiga/external 
video output. The key output is a signal 
used by a switcher to mix to other video 
signals (think of it as a stencil generated 
by the Amiga). The RGB passthru allows 
the use of a standard RGB monitor while 
the genlock is in use. A reverse key essen- 



tially allows the external video to show 
through everj'where except color 0. Loop 
\ideo passes the exlemal %ideo without 
adding the Amiga's graphics. Y/C input 
and output are used in S-VHS and ED- 
BETA applications. Adjust timing indi- 
cates how easy it is for a video engineer to 
gain access to the "fine tune" controls. 
Software and fade (hardware) controls let 
you control the mix of external video and 
Amiga graphics. Luminance fade lets you 
control the mix via the relative brightness 
of the Amiga's image instead of using col- 
or 0. Blanking select lets you chose be- 
tween using the Amiga's video timing and 
genlocking to an external video source. 
GPI controls are used in professional video 
production to trigger an event (i.e., a fade 
or cut). 

SuperGen 

Manufacturer: Digital Creations 

2865 Sunrise Blvd. 

Suite 103 

Rancho Cordova, 

CA 95670 
Price: S749.00 

The SuperGen fit}m Digital Creations 
was the first professional genlock on the 
market specifically for the Amiga. It is a 
solid-looking unit, with BNC connectors 
on the back and slider and switeh controls 
on top. Installation is simple. A cable con- 
nects to the RGB port on the Amiga, your 
Amiga monitor connects to the RGB 
passthru connector, and the video input 
and output cables connect to the BNC con- 
nectors at the back of the SuperGen. 

Although connecting the SuperGen is 
easy I was dismayed to discover that the 
cable connecting the Super(3en to the 
Amiga was permanently connected to the 
SuperCJen. This meant I could not install 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 89 



Professional Genlocks for the Amiga 

a longer cable should I desire (and I did, 
since the one provided was far too short for 
my liking) or should it l)ecome defective. 
Further, the plug on the end of the cable 
was a butchered 25-pin connector (one end 
had been ground down to fit the 23-pin 
RGB port on the Amiga), It w;is far too 
easy to misinsert the plug and damage ei- 
ther the Amiga or SuperGen. This ap- 
peared to be cost cutting at the expense of 
the user. 

Once connected, the SuperGen per- 
formed well. It passed the vector scope and 
waveform monitor tests well within speci- 
fication limits. It did appear to need minor 
adjustment to its gain level, but this is 
normal for \'ideo equipment that must be 
matched to existing levels in a production 
studio. However, thi.s presented a problem, 
lb gaio access to the gain a4justment, you 
must bi^eak a seal on the underside of the 
SuperGen, voiding your warranty. I can 
understand this restriction on strictly con- 
sumer equipment, as the average consum- 
er would not have access to the needed 
test equipment, but every professional 
would not only have access, but is likely to 
need to perform this type of adjustment. 

On the quahtative tests the SuperGen 
also did well. It does a good job of encoding 
the Amiga's graphics to composite, with a 
minimal amount of color fringing and 
ringing. The notch filter provided is useful 
for reducing these types of artifacts, but 
should not be used if line detiiil is present 
in the Amiga's graphics. 

The SuperGen was the only unit that 
had controlling soilware available for use 
at the time this article was vmtten. Two 
programs are offered: one lets you control 
fades via a joystick, and the other lets you 
assign fades and cuts to the ten (unction 
keys. The software worked verj' well, I was 
easily able to set up my function keys to 
initiate adjustable-length fades and in- 
stant cuts. Digital Creations has made the 
core of this software available to other de- 
velopers, and several Amiga video appli- 
cations now offer direct control over the 
SuperGen, 

I did find one glitch in the software. The 
fimction key software installs an input 
handler that looks for the Left-ANQGA' 
ESCAPE combination, Tliis combination 
is used by other progranis (PopCLJ, 
Mackie), and if these pixigrams are run- 
ning a conflict is created, I would have 
liked to have had the option of assigning 
another hot-key combination to the 
SuperGen software (perhaps as a TbolType 
in the icon). 

The SuperGen offers several advan- 



tages. It is the least expensive of the three 
genlocks. It can be used on all three Ami- 
gas (although on a 500 with other peri- 
pherals I would consider a beefed up pow- 
er supply). It is supported through soft- 
waiv by several other appliaitions, and 
has good software control of it-s functions. 
It is very forgiving of the quality of the ex- 
ternal \'ideo it genlocks to, allowing the 
use of consumer quality VCR's, 

Mum 4()M 

Manufacturer: Magni Systems 

9500 SW Gemini Dr. 
Beaverton, OR 97005 
Price: S1695,00 

Magni Systems' Magni 4004 is a tw'o- 
board set that installs in an Amiga 2000. 
One board installs in one of the IBM ex- 
pansion slots and the other installs in the 
video expansion slot next to the power 
supply, 'fhese two boards are connected 
via two ribbon cables inside the 2000, The 
boai'd that installs on the IBM side has an 
external DB9 connector This is connected 
to a provided cable with four BNC connec- 
tors. The video expansion card has a 23- 
pin connector that accepts a standard 
Amiga monitor cable and pas.ses the RGB 
signals. This card also has a 25-pin con- 
nector that is used to connect an external 
control box (more on that later). 

The IBM board installed easily, not so 
the video expansion card. It required a 
great deal of force to seat in the edge con- 
nectors, and would not align correctly 
with the screw holes on the chassis. As a 
result I could not securely fasten the 
boanl in place. However, given the 
amount offeree it took to seat it, it showed 
no inclination to move around, I trans- 
ported my 2000 with this hoard installed 
several times, and it never became un- 
seated. Other boards installed in this slot 
did not requii-e extreme measures during 
installation, so I must assimie that the 
Magni board was slightly out of tolerance. 
This did not affect its operation in any 
way. 

The Magni paased the quantitative 
tests with (lying colors. It was only mar- 
ginally out of adjustment for gain. To gain 
access to the adjustment controls you 
must open up the Amiga, but since this 
should only occur once, it is not a major 
concern, I would have preferred to have 
seen these controls accessible without 
opening the Amiga, I did discover that the 
Magni is a little more finicky than other 
genlocks regarding the quality of the ex- 
ternal video you feed it. It would not lock 
up to an older VMS VCR that I tested it 
with, although it %vorked fine with several 



other ransumer decks I tested. Given that 
the Magni is designed for professional use, 
I would expect you would rarely feed it 
this type of low-quality signal. 

Tlie qualitative test showed that the 
Magni puts out a rock-solid image. Fring- 
ing and dot crawl were at a minimum, and 
even fine detail held well. If price is no ob- 
ject, the Magni comes out on top here. 

The Magni accepts either an external 
video or burst signal to genlock Uie Ami- 
ga's graphics. The output can l)e either an 
overiayed mix or downstream key or 
straight Amiga graphics. It will also gen- 
erate internal sync and provide burst out- 
put to act as master sync. 

The optional exiemal control box pro- 
vides a remarkable variety of functions. 
You can control fades (and their rates) 
from full video to overlays, you can set ei- 
ther normal or reverse keys, select color 
or luminance keys, set the luminance lev- 
el of the key, instantly cut to video only or 
overlays, and instantly turn keying off. 
The control box is connected with a gener- 
ous nine-foot cable (a standard DB25 to 
Centronics printer cable). 

These same features are also accessible 
via General Purpose Interface (GPI) con- 
trol. This is a standard interface protocol 
used in the video industry. Magni has also 
announced software that vnW ofTer these 
same functions controlled directly by the 
Amiga. The software was not available 
during my testing, lEdttor'n ytttv: Mag- 
ni's SofitiXin; Control will be a skindanl 
feature instituted on all 4004'i; shipped 
after November 1988. Current users can 
upgrade by contacting Magni.} 

The Magni is the performance leader 
among high-quality genlocks for the 
Amiga. Magni Sy&lems has been design- 
ing and manufacturing video hardware 
for the broadcast market for years. The 
Magni 4004 with external rantroller offers 
the maximum amount of flexibihty in 
mixing the Amiga's output with external 
video. Now that software control is avail- 
able, it is possible that third party devel- 
opers will also support the Magni in their 
applications, 

GEN/ONE 

Manufacturer: Communications 
Specialties Inc, 
6090 Jericho TVimpike 
Commack, NY 11725 
Price: .$895,00 

The GEN/ONE fix)m Communiciitions 
Specialties is a newcomer to the Amiga 
community. It is a stand-alone unit that 
can be connected to any Amiga. It has its 
Conlinued on page 93 



90 MARCH 1989 



AMIGA UPDATE' 



by Graham Kinsey 



Amiga PubKc 
Domain 



This month's column features a huge 
attraction. Does the title Star Trek in- 
terest you? Well, if it does you won't want 
to miss my review of an incredible game 
at the end of this month's column! Other 
highlights this montli include a terminal 
program with an outstanding implemen- 
tation of Zmodem, and the first BADGE 
Killer Demo Contest entry for 1988 1« ap- 
pear in the Amiga PD arena. 

For each program, the author is given 
when known, along with the AmigaZone 
download file numbers for programs ob- 
tained from PeopleLink. (If no file number 
appears, it may still be on PeopleLink, but 
I obtained it somewhere else.) When a 
public domain program ha-s been classi- 
fied as shareware, this i.s also mentioned 
with the sugg^ted amount. 

Due to the large size of animation files 
being released for the Amiga, I have de- 
cided to assume that the normal size of an 
Amiga animation is om megabyte. Unless 
I specify othervWse, all animations re- 
viewed here require one megabyte to nm. 
512K Amiga owners should keep this in 
mind. 

AZComm: by SS Patel (AmigaZone file 
#13942) 

Yet another lacked version of DJ 
James' well-known terminal program, 
Communicator version 1.34. AZComm is 
similar to ProtoComm (reviewed in the 
November '88 installment of this column); 
the only significant addition in AZComm 
is the Zmodem protocol. However 
AZComm differs in two areas. First and 
most importantly, AZComm's variant of 
Zmodem is both highly robust and effi- 
cient The author vrmte this pragram be- 
cause there was no Amiga terminal pro 
gram that could handle Zmodem transfere 
eflBciently at 9600 baud and above. If you 
are lucky enough to have a 9600 baud 
(or possibly even a 19,200 baud modem), 
AZComm is the terminal program you 
want to have for transferring files. 

AZComm's Zmodem is also very good at 
handling line noise. When attempting to 
transfer files with a fiiend of mine, only 
AZComm had a Zmodem protocol that 
could handle the line noise (Online! v2.01, 
ProtoComm and RZ'SZ (for use with 




Access/ vl.42) could not handle the line 
noise). 

It is wort.h mentioning that unlike 
ProtoComm, AZComm does not disable 
the protocols contained in the source code 
of Communiaitor vl.34. This meims that 
you can use Xmodem-CRC or WXModem 
vrith AZComm if you must. 

Conman version l.'i: by Bill Hawes 
(AmigaZone file #14027) 

Version 1.3 of Bill's great CLI improve- 
ment program Conman (last discussed in 
the November '88 installment of ibis col- 
umn) includes improvements to a fix to 
the FL'F2 keys so that rapid shrinking 
and zooming of the Conman window won't 
crash the Amiga. Also, two new handlers, 
CND: and CNX:, have been added that 
give invisible type-ahead input and Con- 
man abilitias to any Exec device respec- 
tively. Now that 1.3 is out and eveiybody 
can use Commodore's AmigaShell, let me 
emphasize that fi^m the console point of 
view, Conman is superior to AmigaShell. 
For example, I find Conman's ability to 
shrink the window indispensable! 

FViends; by Michael Warner 
(AmigaZone file #13978) 

A simple graphics display hack for 
"lonely" mouse pointers. You can vary the 
speed and "randomness" of these friends 
via run-time parameters. 

PcPatch: by Werner Guenther 
(AmigaZone file #13973) 

If you own an MS-DOS compatible with 
a 3.5-inch drive (or have access to one), 
this utility will basically allows you to 
copy MS-DOS files on your Amiga with- 
out having to bother with a 5,25-inch 
drive or 5.25-inch floppies. PcPatch will 
patch the PCCopy and PCFormat utilities 
on the 1.2 Extras so that these utilities 
will read, write and format 360K 3.5-inch 
floppies. Although this particular format 



' is seldom used on an MS-DOS machine, 
all MS-DOS 3.5-inch drives can read/write 
fit)m/to these disk.s (although not all may 
be able to format 360K 3.5-inch floppies). 
Please note that since this program is 
a binar>' patch program, it may not work 
on the 1.3 versions of PCCopy and 
PCFormat. 

ShowANIM version 5.3: by Garj' Bonham 
(AmigaZone file #13661) 

Vereion 5.3 of the familiar ANIM play- 
er ShowANIM (which to my amazement 
Fve never actually reviewed by itself be- 
fore, although I've talked about it many 
times when revievring other programs). 
This major update to ShowANIM includes 
new features like PAL support and tluiee 
levels of overecan support^-none, medium 
(352/704 X 220/440) and severe (384/768 
X 240/480). 

Other new features include variable 
playback speed (Either from the key- 
board's ftmction keys or from the com- 
mand line) and color cycling support. The 
other major improvement is that now 
icons are supported. You can now create 
an icon by which an ANIM format anima- 
tion can be run fiiom the Workbench! 

However, unlike Display (reviewed in 
the December '88 installment of this col- 
umn), you have to create the icon first. 
While ShowANIM's icon support may be 
favored by those who create commercial or 
PD disks, new Amiga users would be wise 
to use Display instead, since additional 
work is necessary in order to run an 
ANIM format animation fix)m the Work- 
bench. 

NotBoinK.Again: by Dr. Gandalf 
(AmigaZone file #14144) 

This is the first entry of those submitted 
for the First BADGE Killer Demo Contest 
to appear in the Amiga PD community. 
NotBoingAgain is a hilarious animation 
which reminds you not to bore your 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 91 



Amiga Update/Amiga PiiWic Domain 

Airdga by running old animations 
over and over again! The frames for 
NotBoingAgain were created with Sculpt- 
3D and then assembled into an animation 
with Movie. Sounds that were created 
with Perf'ectSaund were added to the ani- 
mation for the finishing touch. 

Showiz: by J.L. White {AmigaZone 
file #12844; Shareware: SIO) 

A poweI^ul IFF ILBM picture/ASCn 
text display program. The program can 
work from Workbench, but using it fbm 
CLI is the way to access all its features. 
Showiz will display any ASCII text file (so 
long as you have first added asterisks and 
a header line required by the program), 
using up to three colors— one for the text 
itself, one for the background color and 
one for a shadow color 

However, the best part of this program 
is how it displays IFF pictures. Although 
it does claim to handle all types of IFF pic- 
tures, including HAM and overscan, what 
makes Showiz unique are all the wipes 
available. With Showiz you have 23 differ- 
ent wipes to choose from (and as the au- 
thor states in the docs, that works out to 
only IK of code per wipe). Available wipes 
include checkerboard, fades, slides, block 
wipes, growths (both inward and outward) 
and shrinks, splits, inverts, puzzles, strips 
and trails. 

One fantastic use of this program is to 
display all the pictures in a hard disk's 
huge directory while cycling through all 
the wipes. You can also choose wipes for 
each individual picture. You can tell 
Showiz to show each picture just once, or 
to loop indefinitely (until the ESCAPE 
key is hit). You can also choose how long 
Showiz will display a given picture (al- 
though you can use the left mouse button 
to tell Showiz to move on before the inter- 
val is up), Not all wipes will work with 
HAM and overscan pictures, but if that's 
the case then Showiz will just use a de- 
fault wipe instead. 

Showiz isn't designed to use script files, 
but knowledgeable Amiga users can over- 
come this problem, The only problem I see 
with Showiz is that it mil not display both 
pictures and text files in the same slide- 
show. But for such a small program, 
Showiz still gives you many wipes and 
features to use. 

Amy Today: by Jon Rydell 
(various AinigaZone file numbers) 

This is a biweekly on-line newsletter 
covering the Amiga. Issue 5.3 includes a 
feature on Steve Jobs' NeXT machine and 



how it relates to the Amiga. This is an- 
other source of up-to-date Amiga informa- 
tion for modem users, 

StiU" Trek: by Eric Gustafson 

Whether you are a Star Trek fan, or just 
like games, or are interested in graphics 
programming using The Director, you 
simply must check this game out! We've 
seen games for the Amiga and programs 
(usually animations) created with The 
Director, but never have we seen an ani- 
mated game created with The Director. 

After an intnxluctoiy animation, you 
are presented with some text that is nicely 
displayed using the program Startle (re- 
viewed in the April '88 installment of this 
column). Among other things this text file 
contains Eric's attempt to solve the copy- 
right problem posed by a heavily-protect- 
ed name such as Star Trek. Eric states 
that if a hcensed commercial Star Trek 
game ever appears for the Amiga, you 
must destroy any and all copi^ of this 
game. 

Next a great animation sequence ap- 
pears. This is none other that the Star 
Trek opening scene. Hearing Captain 
Kirk say "Space ~ the final fixintier . , ." 
while the Starship Enterprise zooms 
across the screen is sure to grab anybody's 
attention! 

Finally, the main game screen appears. 
Most of the screen is taken up by a large 
view of the bridge of the Enterprise, filled 
with all the well-known crew members. 
Alongside this scene are pictures of each 
of the seven crew members. You will 
spend most of the game clicking on these 
seven pictures, to use the talents of each 
crew member. The object of the game is to 
recover valuable lost data files (crucial to 
the security of the Federation), which 
have been scattered across the galaxy and 
are hidden on vaiious planets. 

You start the game far fitim any solar 
system, so you must first warp to a solar 
system. When you click on Sulu's image, 
the movement controls appear. If you go to 
the star map, you can select a star system 
to warp to. If you want more information 
on any star system, just click on Spoek's 
image after selecting a star system, and 
he will tell you how many planets are in 
the system, as well as whether the system 
is controlled by the Federation, by Klin- 
gon or Romulan forces or is neutral. 

If you decide to warp to this system, just 
chck on Sulu then access the drive con- 
trols, which of course include warp speed 
controls. Once you select a d^ired warp 
speed, a moving star field appears, and 
there is an appropriate pause (even an 



Amiga can't travel 50 light years instan- 
taneously) followed by a familifu- atten- 
tion signal to let Captain Kirk (the char- 
acter you control in the game) know that 
you have arrived at the destination. 

Once you have entered a solar system, 
you need to examine its planets. After you 
have accessed Sulu and have selected a 
planet fiom the solar system display (yes, 
of couree I realize that it's kind of silly for 
Sulu to have to do this when Spock should 
be doing this, but it appears that Eric 
used this method to reduce some of the 
programming requirements), Spock will 
give you information about the planet. 
Although there are many planets, you are 
looking only for planets that support life. 
Once you find one, you access Sulu and se- 
lect an impulse speed to move over to the 
planet. 

Once you have reached the planet 
(you'll know when you are there!), you can 
have the party beam down to the planet. 
After the crew beams down tin glorious 
color as befits the Amiga), the hard part 
begins. You must overcome several obsta- 
cles, including locked doors, force fields 
and robots before you can even find out if 
one of the missing data files is on this 
planet. 

First you must use the THcorder to ob- 
tain a reading on exactly what blocks your 
path. Once you have done that, you need 
to ask the crew members what to do about 
the obstacle. Each will give you different 
opinions. When you fmaJly get an opinion 
you agree with, just click on the sugges- 
tion box, and the crew member who gave 
that opinion will attempt the feat. If 
he/she is lucky, it will work. But usually 
the suggestion isn't a good one, and as a 
result the crew member is usually injured 
as a result. In fact, when a suggestion 
doesn't work, you can count on the crew 
member being incapacitated (like I said, 
this is the hard part). Of course, you have 
seven crew members to work wi^, but 
since there are many things that you can 
try and several obstacles to overcome on 
each planet, you rarely get to the final 
area on the first try. 

Once eveiy crew member has been in- 
jured, your only choice is to beam back to 
the Enterprise, and click on Bones' picture 
on the main screen, so he can start to heal 
everyone. Each time you access him, you 
get an update on the conditions of each 
crew member. 

When you eventually solve all of the ob- 
stacles, you may finally locate one of the 
missing data fil^. But you may walk into 
something less favorable, such as a Com 
spy, or even worse — the Tribbles! If you do 



92 MARCH 1989 



Amiga Update /Amiga Public Domain 

come upon a group of Tribbles, you are in 
serious trouble. Dedicated TVekkieshave an 
advantage over the rest of us in terms of 
solving this problem. 

Now if the game still sounds easy to 
you, it's because you haven't heard all of it 
yet. You don't really think that the Kling- 
ons and Romulans will sit idly by while 
these data files are loose? Naturally, their 
forces will be prowling the galaxy for them 
as well, especially in the areas that they 
control. Therefore, if you warp to a hostile 
system, sooner or later you will hear the 
familiar red alert siren. 

Once this happens you must quickly 
click on Chekhov's picture to access the 
weapons console. First, of course, you 
must choose whether you want to defend 
yourself with phasers or photon torpedoes. 
Then you simply click on the firing dis- 
play. While the Klingon ship is alway.s in 
view, you must first estabUsh a lock on the 
ship before you can fire at it, and estab- 
lishing a lock is not easy. 

Once you have defeated the foe(s), you 
can access Spock to find out the current 
shield strength as well as whether the 
ship has been damaged. You may also 
want to access Scotty at this time to find 
out the cuirent status of the engines in 
terms of warp and impulse power avail- 
ability. If the ship isn't in good shape, you 
can tiy to find a planet that has an auto- 
mated repair dock, if you can still move, 
that is. 

All this may sound exciting, but it is 
even better when you can actually see and 
hear what's going on. The color graphics 
and digitized sounds embarrass the stan- 
dard ASCII Star T>vk games that have 
been around for years. Although all the 
graphics are in color, most didn't start out 
that way. Eric used PerfectVision to cap- 
ture graphics directly from the TV show. 
However, most pictures were actually cap- 
tured in black and white and then color- 
ized using several different graphics pro- 
grams. And although the color graphi<s 
(srtainly aren't great by Amiga stan- 
dards, they sure beat ASCII symbols! 

This game is am^izing because it was 
done by just one person. Although Eric 
had some help researching Star Trek 
fads, he did all tlie graphics and program- 
ming work himself. What's also amazing 
is that this is only the initial release ver- 
sion of the game. In the next version Eric 
plans to add 3D animations and much, 
much more [including parts of the game 
that he couldn't finish in time for the first 
release). 

I hope you are as excited about this 



game as I was when I first saw it. If noth- 
ing else, this is further proof of the 
Amiga's capabilities (with the help of The 
Director). 

There is still a little time left for every- 
one to give me suggestions on which 
Amiga PD programs were the best in 
1988. I'm looking for the PD programs 
you feel were the best of '88, and why. So 
don't just send me a list of your favorite 
PD programs without also telling me why 
you feel these programs deserve special 
recognition. Please don't select old pro- 
grams (i,e,, programs that appeared before 
1988) unless said program received a ma- 
jor upgrade in the past year. I will only 
consider such a program's new features 
that were added in 1988. If you are recom- 
mending a program that you read about 
in my column, plea.se make a note of 
which issue it w;js reviewed in; if the pro- 
gram was never reviewed in my column 
please note that instead. Please send all 
recommendations to: 
BestofAmigaPD'SS 
1015 S. Quincy Ave. #112 
Quincy, MA 02169 

I will be asking for suggastions fiiom the 
folks who fiiequent PeopleLink's Amiga- 
Zone as well. But for those who don't have 
access to PeopleLink, The deadline for 
sending in your suggestions via mail is 
February 28, 1989, ao don't delay! 

Due to circumstances beyond my 
control, I've once again accumulated a 
backlog of new Amiga PD programs from 
PeopleLink, So next month's column 
should be packed witli reviews of new PD 
programs (assuming I can catch up, of 
course). New programs to be discussed in- 
clude a new update to an old program that 
is finaUy now destined to make sure that 
nobody ever uses AmigaDOS' DiskDoctor 
conunand again. 

As always, I can be reached on the 
AmigaZone on PeopleLink (ID: G KIN- 
SEY). or on the IDCMP BBS (617) 769- 
3172 (300/1200/2400 baud, 105 MB on- 
line, running 24 hours a day), addressed 
to SYSOP, If you have written a public do- 
main/share ware/fit;ely distributable pro- 
gram, or have obtained one that you think 
is worth mentioning to all Amiga owTiers, 
please attempt to contact me via the 
above or through Commodore Magazine. 
See you next month. 

To sign up to PeopleLink and their Amiga- 
Zone, call them at: 
(800) 524-0100 (voice) 
(800) 826-8855 (via modem) 



'rafessiona! Genlocks for the Amiga 

Continued from page 90 

own power supply, a definite plus for 500 
owners. It connects to the Amiga via the 
RGB port. The supplied cable is painfully 
shorl^-less than a foot long. This may be 
to reduce RF interference, but it makes 
placement of the GEN/ONE difficult. It 
does passthru the RGB signals, but you 
will not be able to use your standard mon- 
itor cable, since the passthru connector on 
the GEN/ONE is a DB9 and not a DB23. 
Poor planning. 

The GEN/ONE did a good job on the 
quantitative test. It required a minor ad- 
justment on its gain level, but this was 
simple as the GEN/ONE is the only unit 
of the three tested that provides iront pan- 
el access to the gain control out to the 
horizontal and vertiail position of the im- 
age, the SC-H phase, and the input levels 
of the incoming R, G and B signals. 

On the qualitative test the GEN/ONE 
did a good job. Communications Special- 
ties has used a comb filter in the lumi- 
nance channel to eliminate NTSC arti- 
facts. There are varying arguments re- 
gai-ding the use of comb filters when en- 
axiing computer-generated graphics due 
to their need for an exact line length. Al- 
though using a notch filter loses some fine 
detail, it does tend to "sharpen" an image, 
and I prefer that option. 

The GEN/ONE was the only unit to of- 
fer Y/C output. This is ased with a S-VHS 
or ED-BETA VCR, The lack of a Y/C in- 
put was very disiippointing, and made 
maintaining the quality of a Y/C source 
impossible when overlaying the Amiga's 
graphics. It does allow the use of the 
Amiga as a source in a Y/C environment, 
but it is not a complete Y/C system. This 
is a vital oversight in my estimation. 

There is no provision for external con- 
trol or software control over the GEN/ 
ONE, There are no slider controls, no soft- 
ware fades. It does ofler reverse and down- 
stream keys, loopthru video, and dual 
overlay outputs. Its main advantages are 
its Y/C outputs and external power sup- 
ply, plus its front-mounted adjustments. 

Selecting the right genlock requires a 
carefiil evaluation of your needs, WiU you 
be integrating the Amiga into a produc- 
tion environment? Are you using S-VHS? 
Do you need external or software control 
over fades and cuts, or will you be using a 
downstream switfher? What Amiga do 
you own, and how much can you afford for 
a genlock? Regardless of which system 
you finally choose, you can be certain that 
your Amiga will offer you many years of 
quahty video production. B 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 93 



Projects /Building a MIDI Device 

Continitad from pa^c 49 

group already specified. For example, if 
the second group specified that this is a 
note on message, then group three would 
specify the cliannel number. 
Byte #2 Data Byta 
Bit# |7)[6][5][4][3|[2][11|0) 

Binary 110 1 
Value t 

Indicates Data Byte 

Data byt«i have a much simpler struc- 
ture than status bjtes. They have just two 
poups of bits. 'ITie first group is the single ; 
bit number 7, which always haa a binary 
"0" in bit number 7 position. When MIDI 
sees a binary "0" in bit number 7 position, 
it knows it is reading a data byte rather 
than a status bjle. The remaining 7 bits, 
bit numbers 6 through comprise the sec- 
ond group. These bits transmit a data val- 
ue between and 127. 

MIDI must send a minimum of two or 
more bytes of information depending upon 
the message. We will go into greater detail 
on m^sage structure later on. 

MIDI In, Out and Thru 

Although MIDI requires only two wires, 
it uses a standard 5-pin DIN plug (See fig- 
ure 4). Standard MIDI keyboards have 
three MIDI ports labeled In, Out and 
Thru, 

The MIDI In port receives messages 
from other synthesizers or sequencei's. E 
the message is meant for that particular 
device, it will respond as if someone were 
controllmg or playing the synthesizer. If 
the menage is for another synthesizer, it 
will ignore the message. 

The MIDI Out port sends messages out 
to other synthesizers, drum machines or 
sequencers. 

The MIDI Thru port retransmits any 
information received on the MIDI In port 
r^aidless of whom the message is sent to. 

Circuit Construction 

Our circuit implements one MIDI Out 
port to utilize the computer as a sequencer 
(See figure 5), You should consider this a 
training device to learn the ftmdaraentals 
of MTOFs (see Apology- at end of article). 

MIDI as stated is a serial 31,250 baud 
transmission. The circuit uses a 6502 
UAET (Universal Asynchronous Receiver 
TVansmitter) chip. (See photo and sche- 
matic.) The UARTchip takes p;n-allel in- 
formation from the user port and trans- 
mits it serially at the 31,250 baud rate. 
The baud rate of the UART is determined 
by the clock pulse it receives on pin 40. We 
provide the clock pulses for the II ART. We 



start with a 2 Mhz clock whose frequency 
is divided by four by the 4013 chip. The 
frequency leaving the 4013 is therefore 
500,000 Hz. The UARTchip requires a 
clock frequency 16 times greater than the 
baud rate required. Therefore, 500,000/16 
= 31,250 which is just what we need for 
MIDI. The UARTautomaticiilly adds one 
start and one stop bit per byte of informa- 
tion. Although the serial data out of the 
UART is TTL logic, the PNP transistor 
provides the necessary current loop and 
signal inversion. 

MIDI Cables 

MIDI cables are rather easy to make 
(See figure 6 and Parts List). Just make 
sure you keep the internal wires straight, 
and keep the length of cable under 50 feet. 

Profffiunming MIDI Messages 

Programming the device is easy once 
we understand the proper format to com- 
municate on the MIDI interface. 

First, let's talk about channels. There 
are 16 MIDI channels available, num- 
bered to 15. It is therefore possible to 
connect and operate 16 MIDI instruments 
at once. Each instrument occupies one 
channel and will respond only to messages 
sent with that channel identification 
number Electronic synthesizers have a 
channel-select knob to set the channel 
number (0 to 15) 1 through 16 for the syn- 
thesizer 

The channel number is an area of possi- 
ble confusion. Many MIDI references use 
the channel range of 1 to 16. The range 1 
to 16 makes for easy identification, but 
when %ve program the de\ice we must use 
the numbers to 15. In effect number 
equals channel 1, number 1 equals chan- 
nel 2, and so on. Now let's put together a 
simple note on message to be sent via 
MIDI. A note on menage requires three 
bjtes of information. 



Byte 

#/IVpc Decimal 
#1 Status 144 



#2 Data 



#3 Data 



60 



64 



Biniirv Meaning 

lOOKlKX) Note On, 

ctmnnel 1 
00111100 Note Value, 

60 = middle 

C 
01000000 Velodtj-.key 

pressure 



llyte #2 "OtillllOO" 

^rhe next byte, decimal 60, we can see 
from the binary equivalent the bit 7 posi- 
tion contains "0" making this a data byte. 
'Ilie numeric value of this byte (0-127) de- 
termines the pitch in half steps, the high- 
er the value, the higher the pitch. The val- 
ue of 60 specifies a middle C note. 

Byte #3 "01000000" 

The third byte in the note on message is 
a data byte that specifies the key velocity, 
wliich is how hard or fast a key was hit. 
The higher the number, the higher the ve- 
locity. A value of indicates no velocity 
and is equal to a note off. For keyboards 
that are not pressure sensitive, 64 is a de- 
fault velocity. 

The above three bytes sent over a MIDI 
channel will trigger a middle C note. The 
note will sustain until we send a note off 
message as follows; 



Bytes 

#/T>pe Decimal 

#1 Status 128 



#2 Data 



#3 Data 



Byte-by-Byte Analysis 
Byte #1 "1001000" 

Looking at the binary equivalent, there 
is a "1" in bit 7 position, so it obvious that 
this is a Status Byte. The next group 
"001" is the code for Note On, The four re- 
maining bits "0000" show the channel 
numt>er, which in this case is channel I. 



60 



Binary Meaning 

lOOOOOOO Note Off, 
channel 1 

OOmiOO Note Value, 
60 = Middle 
C 

00000000 Velocity 



The above three bytes sent over a MIDI 
channel will release a middle C note on 
channel 1. Let's analj-ze these b>1es also. 

Byte #1 "lOOOOtKHl" 
Bit number 7 is a binary "1" which speci- 
fies a Status byte. Bit numbers 6, 5 and 4; 
"000" is the rade for Note Off. Bit num- 
bers 3, 2, 1 and 0; "0000" specify channel 
number 1. 

Byte #2 "001111(H)" 
Same as byte number 2 of note on mes- 
sage. 

Byte #3 "OOOOOOflO" 
Same as Bj'te number 3 of note on mes- 
sage. Velocity value equals in this mes- 



More Messages 

A synthesizer can't perform a function 
it's incapable of even if it is requested via 
the MIDI channel. Pretty obvious state- 
ment, but necffisary. If you tell your syn- 
thesizer to do a patch change or pitch 
change and it doesn't have the interna! 
capabilities, it can't respond to your re- 
quest. This doesn't mean the MIDI inter- 
face isn't working or that your synthesizer 
is broken. 

There are a lot more messages that can 
be sent via MIDI. We can't go over all of 
them, but we'll try a couple more. For a 



94 MARCH 1989 



Projects/ Building a MIDI Device 

more esttensive list of MIDI commands 
pick up some books on the subject. 

Patch Change 

The synthesizer Tm working with has a 
number of preprogrammed instruments I 
can select from. If the synthesizer you're 
working with also has this you can change 
instruments via MIDI. 

Bytc#l'ilOOxxxx" 

Bit number 7 is a binary "1" which speci- 
fies a Status byt«. Bit numbers 6, 5 and 4; 
"100" is the code for patch change. Bit 
numbers 3, 2, 1 and 0; "xxxx" specify 
channel number. 

Byte #2 "Oxxxxxx-x" 

Bit number 7 is a binary "0" which speci- 
fies a Data byte. Remain bits (6-0); 
"xxxxxxx" specifies the patch number. 



Pitch Change Bend 

Byte #1 "inOxxxx" 

Bit number 7 is a binary "1" which speci- 
fies a Status byte. 

Bit numbers 6, 5 and 4 "110" is the code 
for pitch change. 

Bit numbers 3, 2, 1 and 0; "xxxx" specify 
channel number. 

Byte #2 "Oxxxxxxx" and Byte #3 
"Oxxxxxxx" 

Bit number 7 is a binary "0" which speci- 
fies a Data byte. 

Remaining bits specify the number of the 
new pitch. Bytes 2 and 3 represent a num- 
ber in low-byte high-byte format. Since 
each data byte can represent a number 
tluBUgh 127, they can combine to provide 
a number with the range of to 16,384. 
Byte number 2 is the least significant 
byte {LSB) and Byte number 3 most sig- 
nificant byte (MSB). A value of 8192 is the 
center setting. Values less than 8192 will 
lower the pitch and values above 8192 in- 
crease the pitch. 

Program 

The BASIC program that accompanies 
this article operates on both the Commo- 
dore 64 and 128. This is a simple program 
that plays a few notes. With modifications 
you can implement chords, patch changes 
and a host of other MIDI commands. This 
is equivalent to a single-track sequencer, 
lb create a multi-track unit would involve 
machine-language programming. 

The variables in line 20 are simple note 
information as follows: 



C = Note On, channel 1 

D = Velocity 

E = Note Off, Channel 1 

F = Velocity 

J = User Port address 

The data statements hold the note and 
time information. You can add and modify 
the data statements to compose your own 
songs. 

Our computer should be configured as 
device 1 in figure 6. The cable leaves the 
interface device and plugs into the MIDI 
In socket of your synthesizer. Run the pro- 
gram, if everything works you can start 
composing music. 

An Apology 

When I began this project I didn't real- 
ize the tremendous amount of software 
and hardware that was already available. 
Most commercial devices are interfaced to 
the expansion port on the computer. This 
in itself isn't difficult, and by taking thi.'i 
approach one could also implement the 
"MIDI In" and "MIDI Thru" ports. I also 
believe that there are some powerful soft- 
ware packages available that could be 
purchased without buying any hfuxiware, 
provided our MIDI device emulates one of 
the commercials MIDI devices. These soft- 
ware packages are more powerful than 
anything we could put together for the 
project. I plaimed on doing expansion port 
projects. I'm afraid I just didn't get to it. 

The expansion port is more versatile 
and powerful than the User Port. So the 
first article I planned for the Expansion 
Port is a pin-by-pin description with pro- 
jects just as I have done with the User 
Port. I didn't want to throw caution tf) the 
wind jmd jump into an expansion board 
project without everyone knowing exactly 
how the expansion port operates. 

In essence I apologize for offering a pro- 
ject that is less tiian it could be. But I will 
make a commitment to make MIDI one of 



the first expansion board projects. And in 
the interim Til search to find a suitable 
software package to go with it. Td advise 
anyone building this project not to hard- 
wire the circuit together so that you can 
still use the parts when we move it over to 
the expansion port, 

MIDI by Modem 

There are a number off BBS's across the 
countiy that have MIDI information 
available. These are excellent places to 
drop in to pick up some tips. Many have 
downloadable text files and patches for 
most synthesizers. 

East Coast MIDI Bulletin Board: (516) 
9284986 

CompuServe: TVpe GO MIDI to bring 
you to MCS MIDI Forum. Use local phone 
number. 

Delphi: Music City SIG has MIDI infor- 
mation. Use local phone number. 

CD + MIDI 

CD's are just begiiming to be encoded 
vrith graphic images. The Tklking Heads' 
album, "Naked" is the first CD released in 
the U.S. that has been encoded with 
graphics information. When Philips and 
Sony published the standard for CD's in 
1984, they specified 9o'7c of the disk to be 
used for sound. The remaining space was 
reserved for subcodes. This space is now 
being filled with graphics and soon with 
MIDI information. As soon as Philips and 
Sony approve the CD + MIDI stimdard 
these devices will appear on the market. 

With the MIDI iriformation from the 
disks, your home synthesizes will be able 
to play the music on the disk. Also, once 
the information is extracted it allows you 
to manipulated the music. You would be 
able to do things like dropping tracks, or 
lowering the volume on some tracks, 
changing the tempo, pitch or print out 
sheet music. 



Parts List 






MIDI Cable 






t 


Item 


Rart Number 


5 Pin Din Plug 


Radio-Shack #274-003 


(1) 


2 Cord. SlieiWed Cable 


Radio-Shack #278-1276 


MIDI Interface 






(1) 


UART 


Digi-Key PN# IM6402IPL 


(1) 


2.0MlizmCk)ck 


Digi-Key PN# X104 


(1} 


5 Pin Din Socket 


Radio-Shack # 274-005B 


(4) 


IN9 14 diodes 


Radio-Shack # 276-1620 


(1) 


PNP Trans istof 


Radio-Shack § 276-1604 


(1) 


10 uf Cap. 


Radio-Shack #272-1025 


(2) 


220 ohm resislofs 


Radio-Shack #271-1313 


(1) 


390 ohm resistor * 
* use in place ot 400 dim in schematic 


Radio-Shack #271-018 


(1) 


47 K ohm resistcr 


Radio-Shack # 217-1342 


(1) 


4013 flip ftop 


Radift-Shack* 276-2413 



Misc. Cart Connector trwri Digi-Key. Soldefless tireadboard. 22 p. stranded wire. 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 95 



MIDI Sequencers for ttie Amiga ■ 

Continued fmm page 53 



If interchangeability isan 
important factor, look for a 
program that can ioad and 
save data in the SMUS 
format. 




± 



k 



laying down additional tracks and being 
able to hear certain portions of previously- 
recorded music. However, if your synthe- 
sizer is not multi-timbral, actual playback 
of a complete song is limited (by the 
Amiga hardware) to a maximum of four 
voices (or notes) at any one time. Prior to 
playback, you should also be able to turn 
on and off selected tracks, either by select- 
ing the one you want to hear, or by muting 
those that you don't want to play. 

While there is a standard file format for 
music scores (the IFF SMUS format), each 
sequencer program saves data using its 
own proprietary format. As a result, you 
cannot use a sheet music print utility de- 
signed for one program with another pro- 
gram. If interchangeability is an impor- 
tant factor, look for a program that can 
load and save data in the SMUS format. 
One added advantage of SMUS is that 
you can load your composition into Elec- 
tronic Arts' Deluxe Musk Construction 
Set, display it in note and staff form and 
aL<io obtain a "sheet music" printout. 

Now, with all of these criteria fresh in 
your mind, let's proceed to the individual 
packages available. 

Dr. Ts Keyboard Controlled 

Sequencer (KCS) 

Dr. T's Music Software 

Dr. Ts KCS is unique in that it has two 
separate and distinct recording modes— 
TVack and Open— as well as "bells and 
whistles" too numerous to mention in this 
article. The TVack mode operates like the 
other sequencers and provides you with 48 
separate tracks which can be muted or 
designated as solo. Each track is attached 
to a user-designated MIDI channel. You 
cannot, however, combine patterns to form 
a song. You must first copy the recorded 
tracks to a designated sequence number 
in the Open mode, assemble those se- 
quences into a song, and finally copy them 



back to tracks in the TVack mode. Once 
this is accomplished, you can continue to 
overdub. In the TVack mode, once you 
have recorded a track, the program auto- 
matically plays it back and shifts record- 
ing to the next available track. This pro- 
cess of automatic overdub continues until 
all of the tracks are used. 

In the Open mode, however, there are 
no tracks— you just play and the sequenc- 
er accepts information from different 
MIDI channels simultaneously. This is 
u-seful when using synthesizers with auto- 
matic bass, rhythm and chording accom- 
paniments wMch output on several chan- 
nels at once. What is particularly unique 
is the program's ability to later sort out 
and transfer all of this infonnation to a 
number of single tracks, each of which 
will contain the events of a single MIDI 
channel. The Open mode records up to 
128 separate sequences which am be com- 
bined in the Song mode to form a song. 
The sequences can be either musical (with 
notes) or control where a sequence can 
start and stop other sequences. In this 
mode, there are four different ways to re- 
cord: Step Time, Real Time, Overdub and 
Record with Cue. Overdub will play back 
a specified track while you are recording 
on another, while Eecord with Cue will let 
you record starting from a specified mea- 
sure. In the record mode for both TV'ack 
and Open Modes, there is a count-in met- 
ronome which is channeled through the 
Amiga's internal voices, thus freeing up 
both a MIDI channel and a voice on your 
synthesizer. Moreover, KCS supports play- 
back through the Amiga using IFF digi- 
tized sounds. You can play back sequences 
merely by pressing the appropriate se- 
quence number or letter key on the key- 
hoard. 

In the Song mode, you can combine up 
to 100 sequences into a song. This mode is 
quite powerfiil, as you can loop through a 
series of designated sequences and can 
also set the starting point of the se- 
quences. In this way several .sequences 
can commence simultaneously, or you can 
instruct the program to play a given se- 
quence only when another has finished. 

Editing is quite similar in both the 
TVack and Open modes, and you have the 
ability to use the mouse to select ranges 
for cutting, pasting and copying. Th ease 
the burden of editing notes, designated 
keys represent certain note times (W = 
whole note; H = half note) and KCS can 
control over twenty different MIDI events. 

KCS has a number of other unique fea- 
tures. One is the ability at any point in 



your composition to instruct the program 
to randomly play as the next note or se- 
quence an event fi:t)m a list of notes or se- 
quences — producing a lifelike musical 
composition which will never 1x2 the same. 
The Align flmction automatiailly fbrces 
both tracks and sequences to line up with 
the start of each measure, and the Quan- 
tize function can correct both the start and 
duration times of the notes. Additionally, 
you can select a minute'second time dis- 
play as well as the standard meiisure/beat 
display, 

'The manual is well organized, although 
you may have to read it carefully a few 
times to really learn and appreciate the 
differences between the TV^ack and Open 
modes. Because there are .so many differ- 
ent featm^s, options and functions, KCS 
is more difficult to use and master than 
the other sequencers, and screens Ix.'come 
quite crowded and confusing. 

Dr, Ts al,so offers several optional mod- 
ules to enhance the utility of KCS. Dr 
Drums is a separate disk containing al- 
most 200 drum patterns. They can be 
loaded in KCS and used to drive a stan- 
dard MIDI drum machine. Dr Keys con- 
tains numerous piano jKittems in various 
styles, and the Copykt c&n take a score 
generated by KCS and print it to a dot 
matrix or laser printer in note and staff 
form. 

The Quest I: Texture 
Sound Quest 

Texture is a traditional sequencer which 
lets you record multi-track sequences and 
link them together in a list to form a song. 
Unlike other sequencers, the length of 
each pattern must be defined prior to re- 
cording, and the maximum length of each 
for most purposes is 545 beats. There are 
24 tracks labelled A through X which can 
easily be selected using either the mouse 
or computer keyboard. Recording is as 
simple as selecting the track, the pattern 
and pressing "R" twice. At this [wint you'll 
hear a four-beat metronome lead-in on 
your synthesizer or dnjm machine, tmd 
you're off and running on the next l>eat. 

Unfortunately, Textuiv does not utilize 
the internal Amiga sound channels for 
the metronome. To hear what you record- 
ed, simply press the "F' key and then the 
space bar to stop, Tb record another of the 
96 available patterns, press the plus ( + ) 
and minus (-) keys, or type G followed by 
a number to move to a specific pattern. 
Commands are available to solo any par- 
ticular track or select all tracks. 

When you have reconled your patterns. 



96 MARCH 1989 



MIDI Sequencers for the Amiga 

press the TAB key and the window con- 
taining the track information will be re- 
placed by the Link Display, where you 
combine your patterns U.) form a song. 
Again, you must firet define its length by 
specifying the total number of links it will 
contain up to a maximum of 99. Next, se- 
quentially assign the various patterns to 
the links. Now just press "F' again, and 
your links will be played in the order you 
specified. By pressing TAB, you can toggle 
back and forth between the IVack and 
Link Display screens. 

Texture facilitates the process of editing 
patterns with a number of time-saving 
commands. Auto- locate, invoked by press- 
ing "L," permits you to jump right to a 
particular beat you specify. Texture also 
supports block copying and moving sec- 
tions of a track both to a diiferent place on 
the same track or to a diflerent track. You 
cannot, however, use t!ie mouse to grab 
ranges. The Fill command will fill an en- 
tire pattern with repetitions of a smaller 
segment, and you can also filter out a 
specified range of notes by pitch and save 
them to a different track. This is quite 
usefiil for separating the bass fiiom the 
melody There is, however, no automatic 
command to simultaneously move the 
first note of all tracks in a pattern to the 
very beginning. Most of the same func- 
tions are available in the Link mode 
which itself has several nice features. In 
each link (several of which may contain 
the same pattern) user-specified tracks 
can be muted. Finally the Quantize fea- 
ture can be applied to each track both pri- 
or to and after actually recording, hi Tex- 
ture, quantization affects only the beat po- 
sition of the note and not its length. 

User control is extremely flexible in 
Texture. You can perform almost all fiinc- 
tions using the mouse to point and click or 
by making pull-dov^Ti menu selections. 
The fastest way, however, is to use the 
computer keyboard. And to make things 
easier, key assignments are always dis- 
played on the screen, and you can press 
the HELP key for on-screen assistance. 

The screen layout is well thought out 
and the various windows display all of the 
pertinent information in a logical, easily 
understandable manner. Perhaps the best 
part 0^ Texture, however, is the manual. 
The first sections contain a tutorial to get 
you started quickly This is followed by an 
overview of the program, and the remain- 
der is a thorough reference guide for all of 
the functions and features. Each of them 
is well defined, and followed by examples, 
hints and comments. 



SoundScape Pro 
Mimetics Corporation 

This program was the fii^st MIDI se- 
quencer for the Amiga to appeiU' on the 
market. Unlike the others, it takes a rath- 
er unique approach to sequencing; Mime- 
tics calls SoundScape a "music operating 
system." It is built around numerous mul- 
titasking modules, many of which are op- 
tional. The nerve center o^Soutukcape is 
the Patch Pane! Window which is divided 
into two columns— the led leptvsenting 
input devices, the right output devices. 
Viirious icons depicting these devices are 
displayed, and you connect them with 
"software wires" by clicking on an icon on 
the leJl side and then one on the right. 

You can use the Amiga keyboard as a 
musical input device and the four Amiga 
internal audio channels as an output de- 
vice using sampled sounds provided by 
Mimetics, These are referred to ils the 
Console Keyboard and Sampled Sound 
Player, respectively. When you click on 
the Console Keyboard on the left side as 
an input device and the Sampled Sound 
Player on the right side as an output de- 
vice, a line is drawn between the two, and 
you can play notes through the Amiga by 
pressing keys on the computer keyboai-d. 
Another unique output device is the Play- 
er Piano — a graphic depiction of a piano 
keyboard. If sounds are routed through 
this device, the notes being played arc 
highlighted on the piano keyboard. The 
important point is that you can have mul- 
tiple input and output devices operating 
simultaneously! Thus, your composition 
can play through the Amiga as well as a 
MIDI device and also show up on the Pi- 
ano Keyboard, 

Other devices are the MIDI pott, the 
Thpe Deck and the Clock. When you select 
some of these devices, a secondary' window 
will open to allow you to adjust param- 
eters unique to that device. As new mod- 
ules and devices become available, you 
can configure Soundscapc so that they 
will automatically load and appear on the 
Patch Panel when the program logins. 

% record from a synthesizer, you must 
click on the MIDI icon on the left side of 
the Patch Panel and the Ihpe Deck icon 
on the right side to connect the two. Then 
double click on the 'fepe Deck icon, and 
both the Clock and Tape Deck windows 
will open. The number of available tracks 
and sequences is limited only by the avail- 
able memory of your Amiga, and the in- 
put and output devices for each track are 
indicated by device icons on the tape deck, 
lb actually record, however, you must first 



start both the clock and the Thpe Deck by 
clicking on the start button. Both those 
devices have fast forward and reverse but- 
tons, and the clock has two numeiicid reg- 
isters which remember event locations 
when you click on the button next to each 
register. This feature is handy for lorating 
specific parts of your sequence. Tlie Thpe 
Deck also has automatic Punch In and 
Punch Out location counters. While these 
are measured by MIDI clock beats (and 
not masiad measures and beate), they 
may also be set on the fly by clicking on 
buttons next to those registers. Another 
button opens a screen where you can filter 
out unwanted incoming and outgoing 
MIDI data. You can also specify' a delay 
value (in MIDI clocks I for each channel. 
One nice feature is that you can record in 
step time using the computet' keyboard to 
enter the pitch of the note and the func- 
tion keys to enter its dm-ation. Unfortu- 
nately, the program itself does not have a 
count-in feature although there are met- 
ronome tracks you can load in from disk 
which will accomplish the same purpose. 

While recording with Souudficape is 
straightforwaixl, editing and ciieating 
songs fiiom patterns is a rather complex 
and cumbersome procedure. While indi- 
vidual events can be edited and deleted, 
there is no easy way to copy, move or de- 
lete ranges of notes within a track, nor to 
merge several tracks. Multiple tracks as- 
sociated vsith a single pattern (such as 
bass, melody and chords for an eight-mea- 
sure pattern) are not linked together, and 
combining patterns into songs becomes a 
process of transferring patterns finom the 
Edit Sequence Window to the Store List 
Window to the Edit Song Window. 

There arc some major deficiencies in 
the manual which is devoted primarily to 
features other than actual sequencing. 
The instructions for sequencing are often 
confijsing, and you will probably end up 
learning how to use Soundscape by trial 
and error 

The strength of^Soutukcafje, however, 
lies in its modularity and the additional 
utility modules you can purchase. At this 
writing, Mimetics has two utility disks 
available. Included on the first are pro- 
grams that will convert mouse move- 
ments to MIDI information, split the out- 
put of a synthesizer into separate MIDI 
channels (lower keyboard to Channel 1, 
upper keylwai-d to Channel 2), save and 
retrieve synthesizer patch&s and patterns, 
and allow you to synchronize music to mo- 
tion pictures. The second utilit}' disk con- 
tarns a program that will display beats 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 97 



MIDI Sequencers for the Amiga 

and measures on the Tbpe Deck (rather 
than MIDI clocks) and also permit you to 
solo a track. Another program simulates 
an acoustical echo while otliers analyze 
and display incoming MIDI events in real 
time, and quantb^ as you record. Finally, 
Mimetics has included a public domain 
program called Fast TVacker which runs 
SoundScape in the background and quick- 
ly sets up a simple 16-track recorder, com- 
plete with graphic LED metei-s to display 
the music as you play it. Unlike Sound- 
scape itself. Fast TVacker does have an 
automatic metronome and count-in fea- 
ture. 

Mimetics also offers a unique, optional 
module called Pattern Splatter. Mimetics 
describes this as a compositional tool 
which "takes rhythms that you define and 
not«s that you play, shakes them up to- 
gether, and produces music." While Pat- 
tern Splatter is almost impossible to de- 
scribe, it does produce some unique, user- 
definable effects. 

MIDI Magic 
Brown-Wjigh Publishinjf 

MIDI Magic (develoix^ by Circum De- 
sign) is the friendlie.'it of all the sequencer 
programs and the easiest t» use. It is a 
true Amiga program which can run in ei- 
ther medium resolution or interlace 
modes with an eight-color .screen. Each of 
the functions has its own window which 
can be resized and dragged around the 
screen to a location of your choice, and 
there is also a memory meter which 
changes colore depending on the amount 
of available memory. Most fimctions are 
easily accessed by pointing and clicking 
the mouse on icons, although function 
keys are supported. ITie screens are well 
designed, presenting the required fimc- 
tions and information with a minimum of 
space (and confiision). 

MIDI Magic can record up to 26 se- 
quences, each containing 16 separate 
tracks. The program can also record on 
multiple tracks simultaneously lb help 
keep the beat, the top horizxintal title bar 
is segmented according to the number of 
beats in the measure, and the appropriate 
segment flashes to the rhythm. You can 
even set the tempo in real time by tapping 
out a rhythm on either your synthesb-er 
or the computer keyboturd space bar. You 
can transpose and invert tracks by press- 
ing single note keys on the synthesizer. 
The default parameters for your copy of 
MIDI Magic can easily be customized by 
editing the MIDI Magic icon. The pro- 
gram supports the usual functions such as 



merge, cut, copy and event editing and is 
predominantly mouse and menu driven. 

The manual itself is crystal clear and 
extremely well organized with many 
screen and menu illustrations. And to 
make life easier, the 77 -page manual is 
practically reproduced in on-line help 
screens. These can be accessed by puUing 
up an index and clicking on the appropri- 
ate topic, or by the menu option "Active 
Window" which brings up a help screen 
for the window that you are currently 
using. 

It is clear that MIDI Magic was de- 
signed for musicians who prefer to spend 
their time composing rather than strug- 
gling to master a complicated computer 
program. While MIDI Magic doesn't have 
all of the esoteric bells and whistles of 
some of the other programs, it has every- 
thing you're likely to need, and its ease of 
u.se makes it one of the best all-around se- 
quencers for all but the most demanding 
professional. According to Circum Design, 
additional modules will be released and 
include conversion routines for SMUS, Dr. 
T, and MJDI-formatted music as well as a 
synthesizer librarian. 

Di/namic Studio 

by New Wave Software 

Although Dynamic Studio is not as 
complete and complex as the other se- 
quencer programs, it does provide several 
unique and valuable features which make 
it a viable competitor for .some applica- 
tions. Dynamic Studio is basically a 16- 
track sequencer which provides a choice 
of six different divisions (or patterns) for 
each track. These patterns (which have no 
.set or predetermined length) are designat- 
ed by the lettere A through F. The main 
disadvantage is that some jockeying and 
manipulation is required to compose a 
song with more than six multi-track pat- 
terns. Recording is similar to most of the 
other sequencers. You first select the ap- 
propriate track (1-16) and pattern (A-F), 
click on the record button, and play your 
synthesizer. 

The Sequencer screen contains a line 
for each track which displays appropriate 
information such as its status, length, 
time signature and MIDI channel. The 
rightmost portion of the line is reserved 
for designating a sequence for the pat- 
terns on that track. For example, 
"3AB2C~" would mean that pattern A 
would be played three times, followed by 
pattern B once, followed by pattern C 
twice and finally a one measure rest. The 
notation "4(3AB2C:-)" would repeat the 
entire previous sequence four times. 



Of ail its features, the most interesting 
is the editing mode in which the track 
data can be viewed in both standard text 
form or graphically much like a piano roll. 
In the Graphic Mode, the Sequence Ekiitor 
screen contains a graphic piano keyboard 
positioned horizontally across the top of 
the screen. The notes appear as vertical 
rectangles (beneath the piano keys they 
represent) and their height represents the 
duration. When a sequence is played in 
this mode, the "piano roll" moves upwards 
and a pointer indicates the note currently 
being played. 

lb edit a particular note, press the 
mouse button to stop the sequence and 
find the track and pattern number con- 
taining that note. Then cfick on the note 
to be changed. Various buttons on the 
screen display the editing options. You 
cim even move a note by dragging it ft^m 
one position to another with the mouse. 
Without a doubt, this mode makes it rea- 
sonably easy to locate the precise position 
of an offending note and modify- it. Tb 
modify MIDI event data, however, you 
must resort to the standard text method of 
editing which caused fata! system crashes 
fairly consistently when I attempted to 
edit datti. 

Track editing functions are accessed 
through pull-dowTi menu items as well as 
keys. The usual functions (such as copy, 
merge, fdter, change MIDI channel, time 
shift, transpase and tempo change) are all 
pre.sent. 

There are' also some unusual features. 
Alternate Channel lets you play alternate 
notes of a single chord on different MIDI 
channels, and Scramble rearranges all of 
the notes on a specified track in a selecta- 
ble random fashion. There are also three 
different Quantize modes available. You 
can quantize the notes to start on a speci- 
fied beat, and if you wish, also ointral 
their duration, A third method, "Tighten" 
starts the note halfivay between the start 
of a beat and its original actual starting 
point. 

Dynamic Studio will save (but not load) 
music in SMUS format, and there are also 
buttons at the bottom of the Sequencer 
screen which will filter out certain desig- 
nated MIDI events both during and after 
recording. 

The most valuable addition to Dynamic 
Studio is the inclusion (at no additional 
charge) of a fully programmable drum 
machine which contains 2(X) digital drum 
samples. Although this is a separate mul- 
titasking program, it can be synchronized 
to operate simultaneously with Dynamic 
Studio using the four internal voices of 



98 MARCH 1989 



MIDI Sequencers for the Amiga 



AMIGA MtDI SEQUENCERS 











Dynamic 




FEATURES 


KCS 


Texture 


MIDt Magic 


Studio 


SoundScape 


Price 


1249,00 


$199.95 


$149.95 


$199.95 


$179.95 


Memor> Required 


512K 


512K 


512K/ 

IMBrec. 


1MB 


512K 
1MB rec. 


Number of Tracks 


48 


24 


16 


16 


Memory 
Dependent 


Number of Sequences 


128 


96 


26 


96 


Memory 
Dependent 


Maximum Sequence 


Memory 


545 beats 


Memory 


Memory 


Memory 


Length 


Dependent 




Dependent 


Dependenl 


Dependent 


Number Sequences/ 


100 


99 


100 


Memory 


Memory 


Song 








Dependent 


Dependent 


Maximum Note 


1/950 


1/192 


1/480 


1/384 


Not avail. 


Resolution (4/4) 












Multi-track 


Yes 


No 


Yes 


Yes 


te 


Recording 












Mefge Tracks 


Yes 


Yes 


Yes 


Yes 


Tfes 


Quantize 


Real time 


Realtime 


Edit 


Edit 


Edit 




&Edit 


&Edit 


Note On/ 


Note On/ 


Note On 




[Vote Or/ 


Duration 


Duration 


Duration 






Duration 










Punch In/Punch Out 


Ifes 


Yes 


Yes 


No 


fe 


Count-off 


Yfes 


Yes 


Yes 


Yes 


Yfes 


Step Time Recording 


Yes 


Yes 


Yes 


Yes 


No [option] 


SMUS capability 


No 


No 


No 


Save Only 


Yes 


Manual 


193 pages 


96 pages 


77 pages 


57 pages 


112 pages 


Copy Protection 


Yes 


Keyword 


None 


None 


Key Disk 


Use Internal Voices 


Yes 


No 


No 


Drum machine 


Ves 




is outside the scope of 

fetpiW rlpwrintirm nf 




Only 




the Amiga. While it 
this article tn trivp a 


summarized the salient features of each 
in the comnari.wn rhart. awiimnanvinu 



the drum machine program, I can state 
without reservation that it Ls full featured, 
produces very realistic sounds, and can 
utilize standtird IFF sound files {such as 
instnmients and sound effects). So why 
not try using Dynamic Studio to produce 
the 1812 Overture, cannons and all! 

The diskette also contains a Librarian 
program which loads and saves voice 
patches (o synthesizers as well as a pro- 
gram that plays several songs in a row- 
much like a jukebox. 

An optional program, Sound Oasis, is 
available to read digitized sounds finom 
Mirage Digital Sampling Keyboard sound 
disks so that Dynamic Studio can play 
those sounds through the Amiga. 

The manual is easy to read and signifi- 
cantly shorter than those that come with 
other sequencers. There are very few ex- 
amples or comments. The manual ap- 
pears to be directed at the amateur mar- 
ket, as in-depth discussions on the use of 
commands, MIDI and applications are 
omitted. 

Summary 

It is obvious that much time and effort 
was put into progranmiing each of the se- 
quencer packages I evaluated, and I have 



this article. The ultimate question as to 
which program is best is difficult if not im- 
possible to answer and depends primarily 
on your needs. 

If you are a full-time professional musi- 
cian or recording studio engineer who will 
be working with a sequencer several 
hours each day, then KCS is most suit- 
able, as it has the most features and op- 
tional utility modules (but is the most 
implicated and difficult to master as well 
as the most expensive). 

Texture, too, is full featured and easier 
to understand. 

For the semi-professional musician/ 
home iBcording studio crowd, MIDI Magic 
is by far the easiest and most understan- 
dable program and is, in fact, fiin to use. 
Its price of $149.95 certainly makes it a 
best buy for this market. 

Dynamic Studio, however, while not as 
versatile, does provide a programmable 
drum machine and Librarian program at 
no extra charge, which makes it a tempt- 
ing purchase (if they ever fix the bugs). 
Moreover, if your primajy goal is being 
able to correct live performance data, then 
Dynamic Studio's ability to depict the 
notes will make this your program of 
choice. 



Although I have not reviewed it in this 
article. Dr. Ts does market a nice basic 
eight-track sequencer for $69.95 titled 
MIDI Recording Studio. While this pro- 
gram may not be suitable for the serious 
musician, the price is right for entry-level 
music sequencing. 

One final factor to consider in the pur- 
chase of a program is the level of technical 
support each company provides. Except 
for New Wave Software, all of the publish- 
ers had technical consultants available at 
the time I called to answer my questions 
and solve my problems. New Wave, how- 
ever, had an answering machine avail- 
able, and it took several days (on several 
different occasions) to contact someone 
who then had the programmer contact me 
(again a day or two later). As you may 
soon discover once you have purchcised 
one of these packages, most of your prob- 
lems will not be caused by the program 
but by the idiosyncrasies of your particu- 
lar synthesizer and your failure to set it 
up or adjust it properly. 

No matter which program you end up 
buying, you will find that a sequencer 
combined with an inexpensive four-track 
tape deck can pnxluce affordable, profes- 
sional-sounding, fully -orchestra ted re- 
cordings you may never have dreamed 
possible. g 



Companies Mentioned; 

Brown-VVagh Publishing 
16795 Laik Avenue 
Suite 210 

Los Gatce,CA 95030 
(408) 3954838 
MIDI Magic 

Dr. Ts Music Soflwore 

220 Boybton Sttwt 

Suite 206 

Chesnut Hill. MA 02167 

(617) 244.6954 

Dr. Ts Keyboard Controlled Sequencer (KCS) 

MIDI Recording Studio 

Mimetics Corp, 
P.O. Box 1560 
Cupertino, CA 95014 
(408) 741-0U7 
SoundScape Pro 

New Wave Soflwiire 
P.O. Box 438 

St. Clair Shoree, MI 48080 
(313) 771-4465 
Dynamic Studio 

Sound Quest 

5 Glenaden Avenue East 

Tbronto, Ontario 

Canada M8Y 2L2 

(416)234-0347 

TheQueslLThxture 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 99 



Making It Pay 

Continued from page 57 

gitized photographs to illastrate your da- 
tabase, you might consider to using a vid- 
eo camera and a frame grablier to capture j 
the images. 



Every editor (magazine, 
newspaper, book) I know is 
looking for fresh, new 
computer-related articles. 



Writing, Of Course 

My own financial independence has 
been accomplished by writing. This was a 
logical avenue for me since five days a 
week 1 do just that for the local newspaper. 
I got my foot in the computer-related pub- 
lishing world's door by offering programs I 
had developed for my personal use for 
publication. In the past six years I've been 
paid to do that for a half dozen magazines, 
newspapers and one book company. Just 
because you aren't an expert in machine 
language (I'm not) or don't know how to 
decipher a circuit board (1 can't either) 
doesn't mean you don't have something 
worth sharing with other computer enthu- 
siast. Everj' editor (magazine, newspaper, 
book) 1 know is looking for fresh, new com- 
puter-related articles. 

The accepted way to get an editor's at- 
tention is to send a query letter in which 
you introduce yourself, outline the article 
you want to write and include the first 
page or two (always typed double spaced) 
of the text The editor will then respond 
with either a yes, no or maybe. More often 
it will be a qualified maybe — the editor 
will oiTer suggestions on how to slant the 
story to suit the publication and ask you 
to submit the complete article on specula- 
tion. This means you finish the article, 
make whatever changes they require and 
then if they like it, they will pay And if 
you ask for one, most magiizine will send 
you a 'Vriter's guideline" which tells you 
precisely what the publication requires 
from you, what kind of articles they need, 
how to format the text, whom it should be 
submitted to and whether it should be on 
paper or disk. 

Like I said, that is the normal submis- 
sion mute. But I've had more success sui> 
mitting complete articles and reviews 
without going the "query letter" route. 
What I do is become familiar with the 
publication, pick a subject they haven't 



covered in the last year or so and drop 
what I consider is a finished article on the 
editor's desk. I follow each of these sub- 
missions with a two-week period of pray- 
ing iuid fasting— and about S0% of the 
time the editor will buy the article. 

Getting the editor lo buy a software re- 
view without first querying them is more 
of a risk. Every computer magazine pub- 
lishes them, so there is a market, but at 
this writing there is also an excess of re- 
views and a shortage of feature articles. 
But again submitting a finished review to 
an editor rather than querying them may 
be a good approach. Chances are they will 
not buy the review, but it serves as an ex- 
ample of what they can ex-pect from you. 
Along vrith the review, you might include 
a list of software and hardwai^e you arc fa- 
miliar with and would be willing to re- 
view. Don't be surprised if they turn down 
the re\iew you submitted but assign you 
another to write for publication. 

Write About What Interests You 

I write about computers because they 
are one of my major interests, but you 
should write about what interests you 
most. Novels take more time and s^veat to 
produce and more than luck to get pub- 
lished, but they can make you rich in a 
hurry (remember the best seller. The 
Thorn Birds was Colleen McCullough's 
first effort). And don't forget the thou- 
sands of special interest magazines (gar- 
dening, how-to, fishing, humor, to name a 
few). They all need articles, so put your 
computer and word processor to work sat- 
isfying them and your checking account. 

1 think one misconception which keeps 
more people finm writing is the idea that 
magiizines use only staff writers. That is 
not true. Most magiizine ajticles are writ- 
ten by non-staffers, most of whom were 
not journalism majors but instead have 
knowledge in a specific field of interest. 
Even newspapers use a healthy number of 
fi-eelance writers. And don't be afraid of 
being rejected— everyone gets rejection 
slips, they are part of the game. 

Publicity 

Every organization (civic club, profes- 
sional societies, political parties, etc.) and 
most industries generate tons of news re- 
leases every year. If you have any writing 
skills and are familiar with the require- 
ments of a good news release (if you aren't, 
look for reference books on the subject in 
your library) yon can pick up some good 
money preparing and mailing these re- 
leases. Using your computer and printer. 



you should be able to chum out personal- 
ized cover letters and mass mailings in re- 
cord time. 

The same organizations who use news 
releases probably would be willing to pay 
someone to produce professional-quality 
newsletters or advertising flyers for them ■ 
too. Because there is a flood of good desk- 
top publishing programs coming to the 
market for every Commodore computer, 
using them to pay for your system is a 
natural. Don't forget churches when you 
are drumming up business either' — think 
of how many programs are handed out in 
every church across America every Sun- 
day morning. Many of these are still set 
using typewriters and photocopy ma- 
chines. Chances are if you can offer them 
professional -quality altematives at a rea- 
sonable price you'll have more ofTers than 
you can accept. 

ffyou find you're in need of a Postscript 
printer to turn out your publications (and 
you probably will if you get serious about 
desktop publishing), don't let it sit idle 
when you're not using it. These printers 
don't come cheap, so don't mias a chance 
to recoup your investment. I suggest you 
check with the head of your local user's 
group and offer to print members' files on 
your printer for a dollar or so a sheet. In 
no time you should be able to pay off the 
printer and turn it into a money-making 
investment 

Lat>els and Address Lists 

You would be surprised how many 
small businesses in your town would pay 
to have someone prepare and maintain 
their mailing list and the gummed labels 
associated with them. Urffortunately, 
many of the businesses who could benefit 

It Is a rare organization, 
business, or church which 
doesn't use a mailing list, 
and all are potential money 
makers for your system. 



most from direct mailings aren't willing to 
devote the time and equipment required 
to set up and prepare their own list. 

I know one potter here in Asheville who 
bought a small computer system specifi- 
cally for maintaining a mailing list of his 
clientele. For him such lists are a life line 



100 MARCH 1989 



Making It Pay 

which lets him tell his perennial custom- 
ers about sales and new items. But six 
months after buying his system he decid- 
ed it required tflo much of his time to mas- 
ter—time he felt would have been better 
spend at his craft. Out of frustration he 
abandoned the computer and now pays a 
ftiend familiar with computers to main- 
tain his mailing list and print labels. The 
friend does the work in his spare time, 
picks up some extra cash (he also gets a 
discount on buying pottery) emd the potter 
concentrates on his art. Both parties are 
happy. 

rU bet there are dozens of such "cottage 
industry" operators who need the same 
help in your town. And don't concentrate 
only on family-industries when you think 
of mailing list and label usere. It is a rare 
organization, business, or church which 
doesn't use a mailing list, and all are po- 
tential money makers for your system. 



Some programmers claim 
they have made more 
money via shareware than 
they have going through 
commercial distnbutors. 



If you are a database management ex- 
pert (or something along that line) you 
could pick up some cash keeping track of 
other people's data, I know a few profes- 
sional photographers who would pay 
someone else to organize and cross refer- 
ence their collection of photographs. Be- 
cause many photographers make their 
money selling photos to publishers look- 
ing for a particular type of imag^the 
better organized their collection of photos, 
tiie more sales they can make. By helping 
them organize their inventory you can 
help them quickly locate and sell specific 
pictures (i,e,, four-year-old female feeding 
ice cream to large dog). You might consid- 
er doing the same type of record-keeping 
for mom-and-pop type stores. Most of 
them would welcome help solving their 
own inventory headaches. 

Specialized f^rms 

Business and paperwork go hand in 
hand. Few business owners can get along 
without business forms. Most either hire 
printers to set and publish their own or 
buy them from forms dealers. But with 



your computer, the right software and a 
decent printer, you can create these cus- 
tom forms in your own home. T\vo useful 
programs for such a business which come 
to my mind are MkroLawyer for the Com- 
modore 128 and Amiga (Progressive Peri- 
pherals & Software) and Business Forms 
Shop for the Commodore 128 (Spinnaker). 
The former generates legal documents 
and the latter lets you design and print 
business-quality forms for special applica- 
tions. For volume printing you'll still have 
to take your printouts to a commercial 
printer, but you should be able to work out 
an arrangement which allows you a com- 
fortable mai^n of profit while still deli- 
vering personalized and specialized forms 
to your client. 

More Ink and Paper Ideas 

When it comes to moving ideas to paper, 
the computer is king. And when you look 
around, notice how many items are no 
more than printed paper. Look for ways to 
duplicate, improve or localize these items. 
How many cars on the road have bumper 
stickers? You can print those youreelf us- 
ing your printer (a color printer offers 
more potential) and gummed paper. The 
blank gummed paper (it comes in colors) 
can be purchased in sizes as small as 
8 X 10 inches and in packs starting at 
1(X) sheets (check for paper supply houses 
in the yellow pages). Again, community 
organizations like to offer bumper stickers 
to their members, the same is true of 
churches and schools. Don't forget the 
small markets either. What about desir- 
ing and printing business cards, menus, 
sale flyers, coupons or letterhead for new 
or small businesses? 

Writing Software 

Another route for income from writing 
software is magazines like this. Nearly ev- 
ery computer publication prints short util- 
ity, productivity and entertainment pro- 
gram listings for their subscribers to du- 
plicate. The disk-based magazines (like 
Loadstar) buy programs too. Normally 
they are willing to handle programs that 
are too long or complex for paper-based 
pubhcations to consider. 

Another profitable way to distribute 
your software is to upload it to a national 
network (like CompuServe or Q-Link) as 
"shareware," When you donate your cre- 
ations as shareware, you attach a notice 
that states it can be shared freely with 
anyone with one provision — if the user 
finds it usefiil and wants to use it regular- 
ly, they are expected to send you a dona- 



tion (usually $5-$10), I've talked to some 
programmers who claim they have made 
more money via shareware distribution 
than they have going through atnmiercial 
distributors. 

But if your programs are of professional 
quality, 1 suggest you contact a distributor 
first. They are always looking for good 
software with a unique twist. But mast of 
what they buy is written in machine lan- 
guage not BASIC. 

When you look around, 
notice how many items are 
no more than printed 
pages. lJ30k for ways to 
duplicate these items. 



Tax Advantages 

Remember, saving money is the same 
as making it, and reducing your tax bill is 
a good place to start. I'll leave it to your 
accountant to tall you exactly how to 
avoid pajing taxes using your computer, 
but almost every piece of equipment you 
purchase which is used in your business 
(as a publisher, teacher, printer, program- 
mer, etc.) can be depiieciated over several 
years to save you tax dollars. You should 
keep track of all the equipment and mate- 
rial you use to "turn a profit." In most 
cases those can be used as deductibles ev- 
ery April 15, and will reduce your tax bill. 

Castling In 

These ideas don't come close to exhaustr 
ing the potential uses your computer has 
for making money for you in your spare 
time. But hopefiilly they have given you 
some idea as to how you might squeeze 
some greenbacks out of your ovm system. 
But don't get the wrong impression out of 
all this talk of work and money— I still en- 
joy ray computers. I guess you can sort of 
compare computers to horses; the same 
horse you harness for work can also be 
saddled for a leisure ride. Fortunately, the 
three computers I use (Commodore 64, 
Commodore 128 and Amiga) perform just 
as well entertaining as they do working. 
And don't tell my wife, but my "work- 
horses" wear a .saddle just about as often 
as they do a harness when she's not 
around — if you know what I mean. 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 101 



How 1 Made It Pay 

Continued from page 57 
space restrictions— most reviews should 
fit on a single printed page (if I fail at all, 
it is on keeping the last requirement). 
Time and space restrictions are a primary 
concern with all publications— there is 
rarely enough room to put all you would 
like to include in any issue or the time to 
cover all the new products or develop- 
ments. Just like you, publications can't 
squeeze more than 24 hours out of a day. 

Having answered those questions, the 
next 1 am asked is "Wei! if that's true, why 
don't you print reviews of software that 
stinks?" An editor explained it to me this 
way: "There is a limited space for reviews 
in each issue. Rather than use that space 
to discuss useless software, we believe the 
readers would prefer to learn about the ex- 
cellent products coming to the market." 
That aaswer doesn't normally convince 
my strongest critics until I add, "The deal 
with the magazine goes like this. If the edi- 
tors send me a product for review which I 
find lacking, I just tell them how I feel be- 
fore writing the review. They then send 
me something better to review. Regard- 
Iks, I get paid. So, to be very blunt, 
whether the software is great or trash is 
no skin off my nose (or checking account)," 

I think that's a fair policy. And more 
than once, the editor and I have discussed 
and abandoned a review simply because I 
felt the product didn't meet or surpass the 
standard established hy similar software 
in its category. That doesn't mean that 
only glowing reviews make it into print. I 
know my review of The $4 Emulator for 
the Amiga was not a resounding endorse- 
ment for the utility. But because the soft- 
ware held so much promise for so many 
people we published the review anyway- 
including the good and negative remarks. 

I think most reputable computer publi- 
cations operate with similar guidelines. 
But I have written for two pubhcations 
which worked a little differently. One ac- 
tively solicited negative reviews and the 
other (a book publishing company) mixed 
the good alongside the bad— both are now 
defimct. Maybe there is a moral there. 
Maybe people do prefer to read about good 
products rather than bad. 

The next question people ask is, "Do the 
software disbibutors try to influence your 
reviews?" Again the answer is no. Over 
the last couple of years Fve had the oppor- 
tunity to meet many of the movers and 
shakers in the sofi^vare industiy, and not 
one has tried to persuade me to say any- 
thing good about a bad product— or actu- 
ally say anything about any product at all 



(maybe I should change my mouth 
wash?). Each has simply offered software 
for consideration and have taken the bad 
remarks along with good. 

But any software review (like a review 
of a play, book or movie) is a personal 
opinion— nothing more and nothing less. 
Readers should remember that. The only 
advantage reviewers have over most end 
users is that we usually get a chance to 
see more software, so we should be better 
able to compare products. But in the end 
we simply say good things about what we 
!ike and ignore the rest. 

Any software review (like a 
review of a play, book or 
movie) is a personal 
opinion — nothing more 
and nothing less. Readers 
should remember that. 

Unfortunately this system doesn't al- j 
ways work best for eveiyone. For e-xample: j 
one of my all-time favorite war games is \ 
called Combat Leader. It was released by a 
company called Rapid Fire and distribut- 
ed by Sfrategic Simulations, Inc. I loved it 
; the first time I tried it (1984) and still en- 
j joy it today. So I gave it a good review, 
i while other reviewers picked it apart. I 
think they were wrong, and they think 
I'm crazy, I suspect our differences could 
all he traced back to what type of software 
each reviewer likes and what they expect 
to get when they boot it the first time. Re- 
views always come down to personal 
choice and preference. If you enjoy the 
type of software I like, you are going to 
agree with most of what I say. If not, you 
I should take my reviews with a grain of 
I salt. 

i Good editors recognize that each re- 
: viewer has different interests and assign 
I reviews with that in mind. That's why I'm 
asked to review productivity software and 
war games more often than text adven- 



tures. If I enjoy the software I'm review- 
ing, ni spend more time with it and the 
review should reflect that interest. 

The last question I'm asked is where do 
I get (spies of the software I review? In the 
beginning I bought the software I used. 
When I found a program I was enthusias- 
tic about, I would offer a review for publi- 
cation. About half the tune, the review 
would be bought. After a time, the editors 
started sending me review copies of what 
crossed their desk, and as 1 met people in 
the industry, the companies began send- 
ing review copies directly to me. Now, 
about 80% of what I review comes directly 
fitjm the sofl^vare distributors instead of 
passing through the magazine's doors 
first. Each month I send the editor a list of 
software I have on hand which I think de- 
serves a review. On the list I grade each 
program with stars — one star is poor and 
six is excellent. I rarely include a program 
that deserves fewer than three stars. 
Here's an example: 

•kirk-k-k Shakespeare (Desktop 

Publishing) Infinity 
•••**• Dehi:(d'rodticlions (Tbtal 

Video) 

Electronic Arts 
kkkk Flow (Idea Processor) 

New Horizons 
••*•• Perfect Sound (Digital 

Sound 

Sampler) SunRize 
k^-k-kk Express Paint (Graphic/ 

Tfext) 

PAR Software 
{•kkk = good, kkkk-kk = great) 

Like you, I still enjoy working and play- 
ing with computers. I got a kick the first 
time I touched a keyboard, and I still get 
that same pleasure six years later I hope I 
never take them for granted or cease to be 
amazed with what they can do. Every 
time I open a new soft:ware package or 
hardware box, I feel a lot like a kid on 
Christmas morning. What better job 
could a computer lover ask for than to re- 
view computer products and software? Q| 



Next Month in Commodore Magazine 

Titanic: The Quest of the Century 

The story behind the software and the adventure, including an 

interview with Dr Robert Ballard. 

Those Generous Pirates 

Who's winning, who's losing and where do you fit in? 

It's War, By God! 

A complete overview of tactical and strategic war gaming. 

Available on newsstands Marcti 21, 1989. 



102 MARCH 1989 



84 and 128 Software Reviews/Monopoly- 64 and 128 Software Reviews/Alcon- 



Continued from page 24 

you have to ask for the money just as you 
had to with the board game. I'm glad the 
people at Leisure Genius chose to leave 
this feature just as it is. One of my great- 
est joys continues to be able to sneak a 
free stay on my sister's hotel -packed Park 
Place, just because she is so eager to roll 
the dice that she forgets to collect the rent. 

There is one thing missing on the 64 
version of the game which does exist on 
our board game. Over the years my fam- 
ily has created a unique rule about Free 
Parking which doesn't exist in the official 
rules. Any time someone has to pay a pen- 
alty or tax, we've always put the money in 
the middle of the board, and the first one 
to land on FVee Parking got to scoop it up 
for themselves, Weil you cannot bend or 
create new rules here. Just as you would 
expect, the computer forces everyone to 
play by the oflicial game rules. 

Conclusion 

Monopoly has always been a favorite 
game around our house. I've always liked 
it because it had a great equalizing effect 
upon the players — neither age nor degree 
of education sways the game in the favor 
of any one competitor. But in my opinion 
the board-based game had two flaws: it 
took a great deal of time to finish a game, 
and all the different pieces meant parts 
were occasionally lost. The 64 version 
takes care of both problems. Because I can 
save a game to disk, I don't have to lose 
sleep trying to finish a game in one sit- 
ting. And because all the parts are com- 
puter generated, everything fits neatly on 
one floppy disk. 

The 64 version of Monopoly 
excels in the way it handles 
banking and property 
transactions. 

But, best of all, the 64 version of Mo- 
nopoly is exactly that— Monopoly Thank- 
fully, everj'one involved with converting 
the board game to computer resisted the 
temptation of tiying to "improve" on the 
perfect game. The basic game is exactly 
what you expect it to be. The only 
changes — except for a few environmental 
"bells and whistles" — are those which 
make the game play faster, and allows 
you to save a game in progress for future 
play. If you are a Monopoly fan, this is 
your game. g 



Continued from page 28 

Each option contains its own inherent 
advantages and drawbacks: 

• Speed— Increases your ship's overall 
maneuverability and can be selected up to 
five times. This is by far your most impor- 
tant offensive and defensive attribute. 

• Shot — Simply reverts your craft back to 
its original fire power status. 

• Side— Allows you to fire short bursts 
emanating fit)m the sides of your crafl:. 
Usefiil when moving quickly through 
tight alien formations. 

• Wing— hicreases the size of your ship 
and its firing range. Can be selected up to 
three times. Of dubious value. The last 
thing you need is to be a bigger target, 

• Boml)— Allows you to trigger wide- 
spre-ad explosions in fi^nt of your ship, 
eliminating most aliens within range. 
Excellent weapon for nuking large 
clusters of alieas. 

• leaser- This projects a steady particle 
beam laser in fiont of the ship, instantly 
toasting anything in your path. For play- 
ers who prefer their aliens flash fried. 

• Hominfr Mis-siles— If notliing else, these 
aie fun to watch. Simply press the fire 
button and watch 'em go! Will home in on 
any alien, regardless of their position on 
the screen. Veo' useful in later stages of 
the game. 

• Shields — Offers immunitj' fiiom alien 
fire for limited amounts of time, depend- 
ing on the number of hits. Learn which 
portions of the game Eue insurmountable 
without this feature. But remember that 
shields will not save you fiiom kamikaze 
alien fighters. 

The game's mechanics are flawless ex- 
cept for one irriUiting detail. In the heat of 
battle— believe me, it gets veiy /lof— look- 
ing for the spacebar to select a weapon can 
be fatiil. When playing with a friend, have 
him tap it at the appropriate times. The 
solution isn't so simple when playing 
alone. Inventive players might find their 
elbows, or even their toes, on active duty. 

How far does the game go? I've yet to 
find any starfighters who've reached the 
end, if there is one. Although this is a pat- 
tern game— alien positioning never 
changes from one game to another — the 
challenge never seems to end. The land- 
scape never stops changing, featuring new 
and deadly t>T3es of aliens: mobile gun 
turrets, robot sentries, homing missiles 
and , . , who knows? 

Akvn is full of delightful surprises and 
pleasant friistration. For those who enjoy 
pushing themselves beyond the limit, past 
known horizons, this is your game. Q 



200 PROGRAMS 
C-64® & C-I28® 



220 Programs on10 Disks 
FOR ONLY $39.95 

Plus $3,00 S&H {Foreign-$5.00) 
<C-128 programs run in the C-128 Mode) 



Dear Friend 

The offer rflscribed above is not a mlsspfirst. 
We will send you ten disks containing 220 
tine public domain programs for either the 
C-64 or C.128 for only $39.95 (U.S. funds) 
plus $3.00 shipping & handling (U.S. and 
Canada). Foreign shipping is $5,00. 
Please note thai the C-128 programs run in 
the C-12a mode anci load in the "burst" 
modewilh the 1571 drive. 

Public domain programs are programs 
which were not copyrighted or which have 
been released trom copyright status. Many 
were formerly commercial programs, and 
many others were written by professional 
programmers who released them into the 
public domain as a public service. 

QUALITY: We have over 3000 public 
domain programs for the C-64 and C-128. 
We have selected 220 of the best programs 
for each computer for this offer. We honest- 
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TYPES OF PROGRAMS: Each of 
our disks contains a selection of programs 
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text); education (including educational 
games); home/business; and music. 

INSTRUCTIONS: We are the only 
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GUARANTEE: We are also the only 
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HOW TO ORDER: Use our toll free 
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order. If ordering be mail, be sure to tell us 
which computer you have. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: We 

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directories of all the disks. Write us or circle 
our reader service number at the back of 
this magazine. 

Sincerely, 

Lynne Adams 



ADAMS SOFTWARE 
801 HENRYETTA, SUITE 2 
SPRINGDALE, AR 72764 

*t Commodiore 04 & 125 ai* trademarks of 
Oommodoro Elactfonic& Ud, 



PHONE ORDERS: MON-FR], 8-6 CENTRAL 

1-800-634-0989 



COMIVIODORE MAGAZINE 103 



Technology /Looking Ahead 

Continued from page 62 

can move like a cat from one computer ar- 
chitecture and machine language to an- 
other, is even more difficult. Once that Is 
achieved, the worm wii\ become one of the 
most elFectivc spies and saboteur the 
world has ever known. 

Sabotage and Espionage 

Sabotage is a proven concept for com- 
puter softw'are. One virus that has been 
floating around the Silicon Valley area of 
California for a number of years actually 
has the ability to overload and overheat 
the circuits in certain types of monitors. 
This can result in an actual fire, causing 
the monitor to burst into flames. This, 
though, is an overt, detectable act. Only 
simple, subtle changes are required to to- 
tally disable certain systems. 

Consider this scenario; The world is on 
the brink of nuclear war. For whatever 
inane reason, the button is pushed and 
ICBM's are launched. In the guidance 
computers of these ICBM's resides a spe- 
cially-designed, worm-like program that 
has been covertly implanted by the rival 
nation. It has been doing nothing more 
than bouncing around available RAM for 
years waiting for its moment in the lime- 
light. The sudden flurry of activity in the 
guidance computer initiates the program's 
primary function. Its only task is to inter- 
cept the course correction dat<i and 
change the sign of the number. If the guid- 
ance computer tells the rocket to correct 
+ 2 degrees, the worm alters the data to - 
2 degrees and the missile complies. The 
guidance computer then tries to correct 
+ 4 degrees, which is inteipreted as ^ de- 
grees. It turns out the missile will begin a 
series of dwindling loops until it either 
crashes or destroys itself. 

Core Wars 

Does the concept of worms and viruses 
fascinate you? There is a society of 
computer programmers just like you 
called the International Core Wars Soci- 
ety (ICWS). They pit their programming 
sidlls in a game called Core Wars, Core 
Wars is an outgrowth of a game called 
"Darwin" origmally developed in ATT 
Bell Labs. 

Cftre wars works something like this: 
IWo competitors write their own "warrior" 
programs. These programs are loaded into 
a computer program called an aitjna, or 
Core Wars Coliseum. The computer starts 
the game by equally dividing computer 
time between the two competitors. The 



I Does this .?ound like a complex, difficult 
' piece of code? How much code does it take 
' to change the sign of a number fixim plus 
. to minus and minus to plus? Even a 
BASIC neophyte could do it in one line. 
Worm programs, too, can be very compact. 
The smallest yet wiitlcn consumes only 
17 bytes! Just think of how difficult it 
would be to locate 25 bytes or so of code 
that is constantly on the move in RAM. 
Those 25 bytes could have the ability to 
render even a Cray 2 powerle^ in nanose- 
conds. 

All modem weaponry is heavily depen- 
dent upon computers and on a constant 
stream of outside data. The multi-billion- 
dollar Strategic Defense Initiative system 
could be rendered powerless by one hacker 
in his garage with an Amiga 2000. All he 
has to do is to load the right program into 
the right place at the right time. Since 
SDI requires the processing of huge 
amounts of data veiy rapidly and accu- 
rately, and the shooting of some kind of 
weapon that will intercept an incoming 
waiiiead barely two feet long, traveling at 
nearly 18,000 mph, the slightest gUtch in 
the interpretation of this data will mean a 
miss. 

While sabotage is a possibility, the prob- 
able next desired real use of such sophisti- 
cated self-moving, autonomous programs 
is in espionage, both industrial and poUti- 
cal. Undetectable programs could be used 
as spies, lying in wait, constantly on the 
move, then, when no one is looking, grab 
computer code and sneak out undetected. 
As Harry Houdini used to say, safes and 
locks are designed for keeping people from 
breaking in, not breaking out. ff this in- 
dustrial spy device could find its way in, it 
would be no trick to grab all of the new 
drawings from an engineering depart- 
ment's CAD directory, wait until after 

two programs then compete for more com- 
puter time. A winner is declared when one 
program forces the computer to allot all of 
its time to that program. The other com- 
petitor is then "dead." 

In tliis anything-goes format, the soft- 
ware can reproduce, grab memory, over- 
write the other program or do just about 
anything it can to force the other competi- 
tor out. These characteristics have direct 
analogies to worm and virus programs. 

Does this sound like a childish game? 
Both the Soviet Academy of Science and 
the Central Intelligence Agency don't 
think so; they are two in a long and distin- 
guished list of members. Annual competi- 
tions are held that pit the skills of some of 
the best programmers in the world. 



midnight, then phone them out. No com- 
puters require a password or other securi- 
ty device to get data out onc« access is at- 
tained. 

Our little spy could he loaded onto any 
nation's defense computer, grab any inter- 
esting code it wants, then leave the way it 
came in. How to get in? How about via 
satellite? Satellites are constantly acquir- 
ing data and transferring it to defense 
computers. No one would detect an extra 
25 or so bytes coming in with the mega- 
bytes of data every minute. Once in, com- 
ing out could be by the same route, our 
spy just directing the backflow of data to 
another satellite or diflierent ground-based 
computer for a few microseconds. 

The act of cracking entry codes is sim- 
ply problematic. The writers of commer- 
cial software are fully aware of this. For 
every copy protection scheme yet devised, 
crackers have been able to circumvent the 
system. Most commercial software com- 
panies have thrown up their hands at try- 
ing to protect their software fh)m illegal 
copying and now simply put their trust in 
people's honesty. 

Our little espionage program could get 
in anywhere if a suflicient level of sophis- 
tication were built into it. Much of the 
onus of keeping unwanted worms and vir- 
uses fi*om piying their way into the com- 
puter lies with the operating system. The 
UNIX operating system, it so happens, is 
susceptible to such wonns and viruses. A 
recent well-publicized, worm invasion that 
infected some defense computers exploited 
the shortcomings of the UNIX operating 
system. Some other operating systems are 
I more difficult, but all are eventually 
crackable. 

K history has taught us anything, it's 
that for every sophisticated lock maker, 
there is an equally sophisticated lock pick- 

For more information, rontact: 
International CORE WARS Society 
Attn: William R. Buckley 
5712 Kern Drive 
Huntington Beach, CA 926494535. 

For those of you with an IBM co-proces- 
sor card, you can write to AMRAN, at 
5712 Kern Drive, Huntington Beach, CA 
926494535 for their Core War Coliseum 
software package. It runs on all IBM-com- 
patible computers. The price is $24.95 
U.S., and includes a MARS which fully 
implements the current ICWS Core Wars 
Standard, dubbed CWS'86, and a compan- 
ion Redcode Assembler, Documentfition is 
not yet available, but the supplier assures 
the product is easy to use without printed 
assistance. O 



104 MARCH 1989 



echnology/ Looking Ahead 

er ready, willing and able to get to work 
rendering the lock maker's latest creation 
useless. The same will be true for comput- 
er security. No matter how good the secu- 
rity of a system or network, there will al- 
ways be a way in. These systems are en- 
tirely too complex to possibly eliminate 
every possible avenue. Let's suppose that 
an extemely complex code is required for 
access to a critical computer system. Our 
espionage worm could be programmed to 
lie in wait in a buffer or terminal, con- 
stantly on the move and never interfering 
with any ongoing work until someone 
with the correct acces code logs on. The 
espionage program then dashes in when 
no one suspects, and just like that, your 
little spy is in place ready to steal or alter 
anything it wishes. 

Can anything be done about this? That 
answer is difficult. It may be that nothing 
can be done. The lock pickers will advance 
at the same rate as the lock makers. The 
only avenue seems to be the same avenue 
travelled for just about every other crimi- 
nal act in the history of man: punishment 
for those caught. Whether this is or is not 
a deterrent is a subject of debate. After all, 
no one ever expects to get caught. The 
threat of getting caught may even lend 
more excitement to the challenge. Re- 
search is being done, however, to use indi- 
vidual traits for access of computers. 
Things like voice prints and fingerprints 
could be used instead of codes. This mere- 
ly closes one door. It does nothing for com- 
puters on a network or for programs that 
can reside in a terminal or buffer until 
someone with real clearance lo^ on, when 
they sneak in. 

For the average computer buff, very lit- 
tle can be done to prevent the incursion of 
viruses, worms and other sneaky little 
computer demons fi:T)m getting into your 
system, Eveiy time you log on to a BBS 
and download a program or data, you're 
open for infection, Eveiy time you use a 
disk that is not either new or factory 
wrapped, you're exposed. It is entirely pos- 
sible that commercial software companies 
and hard disk manufacturers could be in- 
filtrated and spread the infections with 
brand new equipment. Like crossing the 
street, or sex in the '80's, there's always a 
chance we take in just about everything 
we do. 

Next month we'll examine voice rect^- 
nition systems. We'll take a peek at what's 
available now, what's coming soon, and 
what you will be able to do with them as 
we continue , , . Looking Ahead. 



Sanymed/Bomb Busters ' 

Continued from page 44 



When a bomb starts to flash, 
you have only a few seconds 
to reach it before detonation. 
If you are unsuccessful, you 
will either be killed or the 
landmark will be defaced. 

nus screen displays any bonus points from 
the previous level. While this is happen- 
ing, music plays in the background, and 
soft colore scroll across the screen. Then 
you will be taken to the next level of play. 

lb make you more aware of your cur- 
rent status, there are three indicators on 
the far right side of the screen. These 
show the current score, level and the num- 
ber of lives remaining. Also, at the top you 
will find the number one high score to re- 
mind you how well you stack up against 
the best. 

Bomb Busters is one of the best strate- 
g>'-action games Fve ever played on any 
computer system. The increasing difficul- 
ty makes it challenging enough to hold 
your interest, and after about 50 hours of 
play Fve only made it to level 7, Also in- 
cluded is a pause option and a top ten of 
the best Bomb Busters. The music and 
sound effects are perhaps the best to date 
for any Amiga game. Its snappy, modem 
music makes playing enjoyable (especial- 
ly the rap music), I would like to see more 
games firom ReadySoft with equally great 
modem music. The graphics and special 
effects are terrific, teamed with super mu- 
sic, making it one of the best original 
Amiga games on the market! 

Explosion Expulsion: Bomb 
Busters Hints 

• Tb get the most points, wait until one 
of the bombs is flashing. After one has 
started flashing, make sure you collect it 
first. This is very risky — especially in the 
higher levels, but it will give you a lot 
more points per bomb. 

• TVy not to hit yourself on any struc- 
ture surrounding the landmark. If you hit 
too many times, a life will be lost, lb pre- 
vent this, use less power in your jet pack 
by pulling back on the joystick before you 
hit the structure, 

• It's important to survival to collect 
the laughing bonus, lb do this, stand in 
one place when it appears, then use your 
jet pack to capture it when it gets close 
enough. Q 



Arithmetic and Fractions 

Continued from pagi'G3 

The Long Road Home 
Computers in Rehabilitative Medicine 

At the G,H, Strong Rehabilitation Cen- 
ter in Vancouver, British Columbia, occu- 
pational therapist Jane Millard uses edu- 
cational software to help adults recover 
from brain injuries caused by accidents or 
strokes. 

One of their goals, according to Jane, 
"is to show our patients how the problem- 
solving approaches they leam here can be 
applied to other aspects of their life," 

Stressing that (ximputers are only one 
component of a diverse therapy program, 
Jane uses computers in the hopes of re- 
storing the patients' prior reasoning abili- 
ties. Often, it can be a long time in retimi- 
ing, "One problem with brain injured peo- 
ple is their difficulty in being able to gen- 
eralize," she explains, "We show them how 
to take what they leam and apply those 
skills to everyday activities when they re- 
turn home." 

One reason Jane uses computers is be- 
cause they are non-judgemental. Another 
is that patients often experience a sense of 
accomplishment knowing they can control 
a sophisticated high-tech device. That, in 
turn, contributes to their self esteem. 

Early on, she became dissatisfied with 
some of the software specifically designed 
for rehab medicine, so she searched out al- 
ternate sources. 

One program she turned to is Strawber- 
ly Hills Software's Surrounding Patterns. 
When we tested Surrounduig Patterns we 
were intrigued with the mathematical 
precision employed in encouraging pat- 
tern recognition and duplication. 

By using different colored shapes (like 
blocks and triangles) the patient must re- 
create a given pattern in an adjacent grid. 
The patterns range from simplistic to ex- 
tremely complex, and the program in- 
cludes a create-your-own-design feature. 
By emphasizing perceptual, cognitive 
skills, Surrounding Patterns develops spa- 
tial relationship and problem-solving 
abilities. 

An intense yet colorful pattern-recogni- 
tion program, this is the most versatile 
we've seen. Seeing it in the light that Jane 
Millard does, we think it's suitable for 
classroom use as well aa for learning-dis- 
abled children. 

Surrounding Patterm 

Publisher: Strawberry Hill Software 

(604) 594-5947 
Price: $55.00 (Tsacher's Edition) 

$19,99 (Home Edition) B 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 105 



HOW TO ENTER PROGRAMS 

The programs which appear in this 
magazine have been run, tested and 
checked for bugs and errors. After a pro- 
gram is tested, it is printed on a letter 
quahty printer with some formatting 
dianges. This listing is theu photo- 
graphed directly and printed in the maga- 
zine. Using this method ensures the most 
error-free program listings possible. 

Whenever you see a word inside brack- 
ets, such as [DOWN], the word represents 
a keystroke or series of keystrokes on the 
keyboai-d. The word iDOVVN] would be 
entered by pressing the cui-sor-down key. 
If multiple keystrokes are required, the 
number will dii-ectly follow the woi'd. For 
example, ID0WN41 would mean to press 
the cursor-down key four times. If there 
are multiple words within one set of 
brackets, enter the keystrokes directly 
after one another For example, IDOWN, 
RIGHT2I would mean to press the cursor- 
down key once tind then the cursor-right 
key twice. Note: Do not enter the commas. 

hi addition to these graphic sjTfibois, 
the keyboard graphics are all represented 
by a word and a letter. The word is either 
SHFT or CMD and represents the SHUT 
key or the Commodore key. The letter is 
one of the letters on the keyboard. The 
combination ISHFT E| would be entered 
by holding dovm the SHIFT key and 
pressing the E. A number following the 
letter tells you how many times to typo 
the letter. For example, ISHFT A4,CMD 
B3I would mean U) hold the SHIFT key 
and press the A ibur times, then hold 
down the Commodore key and press the 
B three times. 

The following chart tells you the keys to 
press for any wonJ or woi'ds inside of 



brackets. Refer to this chart whenever you 
aren't sure what keys to press. The litUe 
graphic next to the keystrokes shows you 
what you will see on the screen. 

SYNTAX ERROR 

This is by far the most common error 
encountered while entering a program. 
Usually (sorry folks) this means that you 
have typed something incorrectly on ^e 
line the syntax error refers to. If you get 
the message "?Syntax Error Brejik In 
Line 270", type LIST 270 and press 
RETURN. This will list line 270 to the 
screen. Look for any non-obvious mis- 
takes like a zero in place of an or vice- 
versa. Check for semicolons and colons re- 
versed and extra or missing parenthesis. 
All of these things will cause a syntax 
error. 

There is only one time a syntax error 
will tel! you the "wrong" line to look at. If 
the line the syntax error refers to has a 
function call (i,e,, FN A(3)), the syntax 
error may be in the line that defines the 
function, rather than the line named in 
the error message. Look for a line near 
the beginning of the program (usually) 
that has DEF FN A(X) in it with an equa- 
tion following it. Look for a typo in the 
equation part of this definition. 

ILLEGAL QUANTITY ERROR 

This is another common eiTor mes-sage. 
This am also be cau.sed by a typing error, 
but it is a little harder to find. Once again, 
list the line number that the eiTor mes- 
sage refers to. There is probably a poke 
statement on this line. If there is, then the 
error is referring to what is trj-ing to be 
poked, A number must be in the range of 



UTiSHIFTED CLfV HOME 
SHIFTED CtJKHOME 



||''1H0ME| 

n -|CLEAfl| 
Q "iDOWNI" "CURSOR DOWN 

Q-IOPV-CJRSORUP 
|] "tBJGHD" -CURSOR BIO BT 

n "iLErn"-amsoBLEFT 

[3 -IRVS]- -CONTROL 9 

H '[RVOFFr-CONTROLO 

E] '[BLACKr' -CONTROL 1 
[I "[WHR^l -CONTROL 2 

H "1RED1'= CONTROL 3 
n 'ICyANl" -CONTROL A 



D ■■[Fll" -Ft 
^■■|F2I"-F2 

g'|nr-F3 
n ■■|F4|"-F4 

[] • |FS|- -ra 
W-|F6r-ra 

|]"[F7|'--F7 
[|"|Far'-FB 

^■■IPOUNDr'-ENQUSH 
POUND 

□ ■■jSHfT'l-- PI SYMBOL 
|GRAY31"-COMMOEORE8 |t| "ri" -UP ARROW 

GRAPHIC SYMBOLS WILL BE REPRESENTED AS EITHER THE LETTERS 
SHFT (SHIFT) AND A KEY ("[SHFT Q.SHFT J, SHFT D.SHFT SI") OR THE 
LETTERS CMDR (COMMODORE) AND A KEY C'lCMDR Q.CMDR 
G.COMDR V,CMDR H|"). IF A SYMBOL IS REPEATED, THE NUMBER OF 
REPITITIONS WILL BE DIRECTLY AFTER THE KEY AND BEFORE THE 
COMMA C'lSPACEa.SHFT S4,CMDR M2r'). 



a ■■[PURPLEI-" CONTROLS 

n ■iGREENr -CONTROL 6 
H •■iBLUE|" = C0K'TROL7 

H -lYELLOWl'-^COfrrROLS 
n -lOHANGEr^ COMMODORE I 

P ■■[BR0WNr-C0MM0D0HE2 
n-jL RED]" -COMMODORE 3 

n ■IGRAYll" "COMMODORE 4 
M IGRAVZr- COMMODORE 5 

I] "IL. GREEN|'= COMMODORE 6 
n -[L BLUEl- = COMMODORE 7 

£3 



zero to 255 to be poke-able. For example, 
the statement POKE 1024,260 would pro- 
duce an illegal quantity error because 260 
is greater than 255, 

Most often, the value being poked is a 
variable (A,X...). This error is telling you 
that this variable is out of range. If the 
variable is being read from data state- 
ments, then the problem is somewhere in 
the data statements. Check the data 
statements for missing commas or other 
typos. 

K the variable is not coming from data 
statements, then the problem will be a lit- 
tle harder to find. Check each line that 
contains the variable for typing mist*ikes. 

OUT OF DATA ERROR 

This error message is always related to 
the data statements in a program. If this 
error occurs, it means that the program 
has run out of data items before it was 
supposed to. It is usually caused by a prob- 
lem or typo in the data statements. Check 
first to see if you have left out a whole line 
of data. Naxt, check for missing rammtis 
between numbers, Reading data from a 
page of a magazine can be a strain on the 
brain, so use a ruler or a piece of paper or 
anything else to help you keep track of 
where you are as you enter the data. 

OTHER PROBLEMS 

It is important to remember that the 64 
and the PET/CBM computers will only ac- 
cept a line up to 80 chai'acters long, Tlie 
VIC 20 will accept a line up to 88 charac- 
ters long. Sometimes you will find a line 
in a program that runs over this number 
of characters. This is not a mistake in the 
listing. Sometimes programmers get so 
carried away crunching programs that 
they use abbreviated commands to get 
more than 80 (or 88) characters on one 
hne. You can enter these lines by abbrevi- 
ating the commands when you enter the 
line. The abbreviations for BASIC com- 
mands are on pages 133-134 of the VIC 20 
user guide and 130-131 of the Commodore 
64 user's guide. 

If you type a line that is longer than 80 
(or 88) characters, the computer will act as 
if everything is ok, until you press RE- 
TURN, Then, a syntax error mW be dis- 
played (without a line number). Many 
people write that the computer gives them 
a syntax error when they type the line, or 
that the computer refuses to accept a line. 
Both of these problems are results of typ- 
mg a line of more than 80 (or 88) charac- 
ters. 



106 MARCH 1989 



How to Enter Programs 

THE PROGRAM WONT RUN!! 

This is the hardest of problems to re- 
solve; no error message is displayed, but 
the program just doesn't run. This can !» 
caused by many small mistakes typing a 
program in. First check that the program 
was written for the computer you are us- 
ing. Check to see if you have left out any 
lines of the program. Check each line of 
the program for tjTws or missing parts. Fi- 
nally, press the RUN/STOP key while the 
program is "running". Write down the line 
the program broke at and try to follow the 
program backwards from this point, look- 
ing for problems. 

IF ALL ELSE FAILS 

You've come to the end of your rope. 



You can't get the program to run and you 
can't find any enxjrs in your typing. What 
do you do? As always, we suggest that you 
try a local user giDup for help. In a group 
of even just a dozen members, someone is 
bound to have typed in the same program. 
The user group may also have the pro- 
gram on a library' disk and be willing to 
make a copy for you. 

If you do get a working copy, be sure to 
compare it to your ovvm version so that you 
can learn from your errore and increase 
you understanc^ng of programming. 

If you live in the country, don't have a 
local user group, or you simply can't get 
any help, write to us. If you do vmte ta us, 
include the following information about 
the program you are ha\ing problems 
with: 



The name of the program 
The issue of the magazine it was in 
The computer you are using 
Any error messages and the line 

numbers 
Anything displayed on the sateen 
A printout of your listing (if 

possible) 
AU of this information is helpful in an- 
swering your questions about why a pro- 
gram doesn't work. A letter that samply 
states "I get an error in line 250 whenever 
I run the program" doesn't give us much 
to go on. Send your questions to: 
Commodore Magazine 

1200 Wilson Drive 

West Chester, PA 19380 

ATTN: Program Problem 

Have fun with the programs! Qf 



HOW TO USE THE MAGAZINE ENTRY PROGRAMS* 



The Magazine Entry Programs on the 
next pages are two BASIC machine 
language programs that will assist you in 
entering the progi*ams in this magazine 
correctly. There are versions lor Ixith the 
Commodore 64 and the Commotiore 128, 
Once the program is in place, it works iLs 
magic without you having to do anything 
else. The program will not let you enter a 
line if there is a typing mistake on it, and 
better yet, it identifies the kind of error for 
you. 

Getting Started 

T^pe in the Magazine Entry Program 
carefiilly and save it as you go along I just 
in case). Once the whole program is typed 
in, save it again on tape or disk. Now 
RUN the progrtun. Tlie wort! POKING 
will appeiu' on the top of the scI^'en with a 
number. The number will increment from 
49152 up to 49900 (4864-5545 on the 128) 
and just lets you know that the program is 
ruiming. If everything is ok, the program 
will finish running and say DONE. Then 
type NEW. If there is a problem with the 
data statements, the program will tell you 
where to find the problem. Othenvise the 
program will say "mistiike in data state- 
ments." Check to see if commas are miss- 
ing, or if you have used periods instead of 
commas. Also check the individual data 
items. 

Once the program has run, it is in 
memory ready to go. To activate the pro- 
gram type SYS49152 (SYS48f>4 on the 
128), and press RETURN, You are now 
ready to enter the programs from the 
magazine. To disable the Entry Program, 
just type KILL | RETURN! on the 64 or 



SYS4867 on the 128, 

The checksums for each line are the 
same foi- both the 64 and 128, so you can 
enter your 64 progi-ams on the 128 if you'd 
like. 

Typing the Programs 

All the BASIC program listings in this 
magazine that are for the 64 or 128 have 
an apostrophe followed by four letters at 
the end of the line (e.g., 'ACDF). If you 
plan to use the Magazine Entry Program 
to enter your programs, the apostrophe 
and letters should be entered along with 
the i^est of the line. This is a checksmn 
that the Magazine Entry Program uses. 

Enter the line and the letters at the end 
and then press RETLTIN, just as you nor- 
mally would. 

If the line is entered correctly, a bell is 
sounded and the line is entered into the 
computer's memory (without the charac- 
ters at the end). 

If a mistake was made while entering 
the line, a noise is sounded and an error 
message is displayed. Read the error mes- 
sage, then press any key to erase the mes- 
sage jrnd oon-ect the line. 

IMPORTANT 

If the Magazine Entry Program sees a 
mistake on a line, it does not enter that 
line into memory. This makes it impossi- 
ble to enter a line incorrectly. 

Error Messages and 
What They Mean 

There are five error messages that the 
Magazine Entry Program uses. Here they 
are, along with what they mean and how 



to fix them, 

NO CHECKSUM: This means that you 
forgot to enter the apostrophe and the four 
letters at the end of the line. Move the 
cursor to the end of the line you just typed 
and enter the checksum, 

QUOTE: Tliis means that you forgot {or 
added) a quote mark somewhere in the 
hne. Check the line in the magazine and 
correct the quote. 

KEY^VORU: This means that you have 
either forgotten a command or spelled one 
of the BASIC keywoitls (GOTO, 
PRINT , , ) incon'cctly. Check the line in 
the magazine again and check your spell- 
ing, 

# OF CHARACTERS: This means 
that you have either entered extra charac- 
ters or mis.sed some chiu^acters. Check the 
line in the magazine again. This error 
message will also occur if you misspell a 
! BASIC command, but create another 
kev^vord in doing so. For example, if you 
mi'sspell PRINT as FRONT, the 64 sees 
the letter P and R, the BASIC keywoi-d 
j ON and then the letter T. Because it sees 
the keyword ON, it thinks you've got too 
many characters, instead of a simple mis- 
spelling. Check spelling of BASIC com- 
mands if you can't find anything else 
wrong. 

UNIDENTIFIED: This means that you 
have either made a simple spelling error, 
you typed the wrong line number, or you 
typed the checksum incorrectly. Spelling 
errors could be the vm)ng number of 
spaces inside quotes, a variable spelled 
wrong, or a word misspelled. Check the 
line in the magazine again and con'ect the 
mistake, M 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 107 



Magazine Entry Program — 64 



The Magaimc En\r/ Programs arc available on disk, along with other prugtam^^ in this magazine, 
for S9.91 To order, contact Loadstar at I -BOO- 83 1-2694. 



10 PRINT" [CLEAR] POKING -",* 

20 P=49152 :REM $C000 (END AT 

49900/$C2EC) 
30 READ A$:IF A§="END"THEN 110 
40 L=ASC(MID$ (A$,2,l) ) 
50 H=ASCtMID$ tA$,l, 1} ) 
60 L = L-48:IF L>9 THEN L="L-7 
70 H=H-48:IF H>9 THEN H=H-7 
80 PRINT" [HOME, RIGHT121 "P; 

90 IF H>15 OR L>15 THEN PRINT 
:PRINT"DATA ERROR IN LINE"; 
1000 + 1 NT {(P-49152)/B) :STOP 
100 B=H*16+L:P0KE P,B:T=T+B: P=P+1 

-.GOTO 3 
110 IF TO86200 THEN PRINT 

:PRINT"MISTAKE IN DATA --> CHECK 
DATA STATEMENTS" : END 

120 PR I NT" DONE": END 

1000 DATA 4C,LF,C0, 00, 00, 00,00,04) 

1001 DATA 00,00,00,00,00,00,00,21 

1002 DATA C1,27,C1,2F,CL,3F,C1,4C 

1003 DATA C1,EA,EA,EA,4C,54,C0,A2 

1004 DATA O5,BD,19,C0, 95,73,CA,10 

1005 DATA F8, 60, 60, A0, 03,89,00,02 

1006 DATA D9,04,C1,D0,F5,88,10,F5 

1007 DATA A0,05,B9,A2,E3,99,73,00 

1008 DATA 88,10,F7,A9,00,8D,18,D4 

1009 DATA 4C,EF,C0,E6,7A,D0,02,E6 

1010 DATA 7B,4C,79,00,A5,9D,F0,F3 

1011 DATA A5,7A,C9,FF,D0,ED,A5,7B 

1012 DATA C9,01,D0,E7,20,2B,C0,AD 

1013 DATA 00, 02, 20, 74, C0, 90, DC, A0 

1014 DATA 00, 40, A9, CI, C9, 30, 30, 05 

1015 DATA 09, 3A, 10, 02, 38, 60, 18, 60 

1016 DATA C8,B1,7A,C9, 20, 00,03,08 

1017 DATA D0,F7,B1,7A,60,18,C8,B1 

1018 DATA 7A,F0,37,C9,22,F0,F5,6D 

1019 DATA 03,C0,8D,03,C0,AD,04,C0 

1020 DATA 69, 00, 80,04,00, 40, 8E,C0 

1021 DATA 18, 6D, 05, C0, 80,05,00,90 

1022 DATA 03,EE,06,C0,EE,09,C0,4C 

1023 DATA OE, 01, 18, 60, 08, 00, 80, 08 

1024 DATA C0,90,03,EE,07,O0,EE,0A 

1025 DATA O0,60,0A,A8,B9,0F,C0,85 

1026 DATA FB,B9,10,C0,85,PC,A0,00 

1027 DATA A9,12,20,O2,FF,Bl,FB,F0 

1028 DATA 06,20,D2,FF,O8,D0,F6,20 

1029 DATA BO,O2,20,E4,FF,F0,FB,A0 

1030 DATA 18,B9,08,C1,20,D2,FF,88 

1031 DATA 10, F7, 68, 68, A9, 00,80,00 



1032 


DATA 


02 


,40, 


1033 


DATA 


91 


,91, 


1034 


DATA 


20 


r20. 


1035 


DATA 


20 


,20, 


1036 


DATA 


00 


,51, 


1037 


DATA 


45 


,59, 


1038 


DATA 


20 


r4F, 


1039 


DATA 


41 


,43, 


1040 


DATA 


4E 


,49, 


1041 


DATA 


49 


,45, 


1042 


DATA 


48 


,45, 


1043 


DATA 


C8 


,B1, 


1044 


DATA 


09 


,10, 


1045 


DATA 


88 


,88, 


104 6 


DATA 


13 


,A9, 


1047 


DATA 


Bl 


,7A, 


X048 


DATA 


04 


,00, 


1049 


DATA 


C0 


rA0, 


1050 


DATA 


03 


,F0, 


1051 


DATA 


B9 


,40, 


1052 


DATA 


08 


,D0, 


1053 


DATA 


02 


,A0, 


1054 


DATA 


80 


-30, 


1055 


DATA 


85 


r02. 


1056 


DATA 


89 


rOl, 


1057 


DATA 


7B 


,20, 


1058 


DATA 


C0 


rF0, 


1059 


DATA 


A8 


00, 


1060 


DATA 


06 


20, 


1061 


DATA 


BA 


C0, 


1062 


DATA 


00, 


02, 


1063 


DATA 


18, 


60, 


1064 


DATA 


EF 


01, 


1065 


DATA 


90 


00, 


1066 


DATA 


F4 


60, 


1067 


DATA 


90 


09, 


1068 


DATA 


19 


r90, 


1069 


DATA 


02 


.AD, 


1070 


DATA 


00 


AD, 


1071 


DATA 


AD 


,04, 


1072 


DATA 


00 


,68, 


1073 


DATA 


AD 


,00, 


1074 


DATA 


00 


38, 


1075 


DATA 


C0 


4C, 


1076 


DATA 


41 


,80, 


1077 


DATA 


19 


90, 


1078 


DATA 


02 


,A0, 


107 9 


DATA 


C0 


A0, 


1080 


DATA 


03 


D0, 


1081 


DATA 


3D, 


03, 


1082 


DATA 


CD 


3E, 


1083 


DATA 


CD 


3F, 


1084 


DATA 


40 


4B, 


1085 


DATA 


00 


A9, 


1086 


DATA 


04 


A9, 


1087 


DATA 


8D 


18, 


1088 


DATA 


81 


20, 


1089 


DATA 


02, 


4C,[ 


1090 


DATA 


11, 


20, [ 


1091 


DATA 


02, 


A9, 


1092 


DATA 


04, 


04, J 


1093 


DATA 


FD, 


CA,[ 



,74,A4,4B,49,4C,40 
,00,20,20,20,20,20 
,20,20,20,20,20,20 
,20,20,20,20,20,91 
,55,4F,54,45,00,4B 
, 57, 4F, 52, 44, 00, 23 
,46,20,43,48,41,52 
,54,45,52,53,00,55 
, 44, 45, 4E, 54, 49, 46 
,44,00,4E,4F,20,43 
,43,4B, 53,55, 40,00 
,7A,D0,FB,84,FD,O0 
, 03, 4C, 84, CI, 88, 88 
, 88, B1,7A, 09,27,00 
,00,91,7A,C8,A2,00 
,9D, 3O,03,O3,E8,E0 
,F5,60,A9,04,4O,CA 
,00,89,00,02,99,40 
,F0,C8,D0,F5,A0,00 
,03,F0,E6,99,00,02 
,F5, 20, 96, 01, 40, 12 
, 09, A9, 00, 99, 03, 00 

,03,88,10,F7,A9,80 
,A0, 00, 20, 58, 01, 20 
,20,ED,C1,E6,7A,E6 
,7O,A5,A0,00,20,80 
, 00, 24, 02, F0, 06, 40 
, 40, OE, 01, 09, 22, 00 
, 80, 00, 40, OE, 01, 20 
,4C,CE,C1,A0,00,B9 
,20, 74, 00, 08, 90, 0A 
, 07, C0, 80, 07, 00, 40 
, 88, A2, 00, 89,00,02 
,02,F0,04,E8,O8,D0 
, 18, AO, 09, 00, 69, 41 
,C0,38,AD,0A,O0,E9 
, 06, 80, 0A, 00, 40, 10 
,0A,C0,69,41,3D,0A 
,03,00,60,05,00,48 
,C0,6D,06,OO,8D,0C 
, 60,08,00, 80, 0B,C0 
,C0,6D,07,C0,8D,0C 
,E9,19,90,06,8D,0C 
,52, 02, AD, 00,00,69 
,0C,C0,AD,0B,C0,E9 
, 06, 8D, 06,00,40,67 
,08, 00,69,41, 80, 0B 
,01,AO,09,C0,CD,3O 
, 20, 08, AD, 0A, 00, 00 
, 00,17,09, AD, 0B, 00 
, 03, 00, 0E, AD, 00, 00 
,03,00,06, 20, CO, 02 
, 00,98,48, 68, 4C,CA 
,20,80,00,04,80,01 
,09,8D,05,D4,A9,0F 
,D4,60,20,A9,O2,A9 
,OF,C2,A9,8O,20,OF 
,O9,C2,20,A9,C2,A9 
,DF,C2,A9,10,20,OF 
,00,80,04,04,60,80 
,A2, 70, A0, 00,88,00 
,O0,FA,60,END iiip 



108 MARCH 1989 



Magazine Entry Program — 128 

5 TRAP 200 

10 PRINT" [CLEAR] POKING -"; 

20 P=4864 :REM $1300 (END AT 

5545/S15A9) 
30 READ A$:IF A$="END"THEN 110 
80 PRINT" (HOME, RIGHT12] "P; 
100 B=DEC(A$) :POKE P, B : T=T+B : P=P+1 

:GOTO 30 
110 IF T059382 THEN PRINT 

:PRINT"MISTAKE IN DATA — > CHECK 

DATA STATEMENTS" : END 
120 PRINT"DONE":END 
200 PRINT: PRINT"DATA ERROR IN LINE"; 

1000+INT({P-4864)/8> : END 

1000 DATA 4C,1E,13,4C,3A,13,00,00 

1001 DATA BE, 00, F7, 00, 42, 41, 51, 57 

1002 DATA 00, 00, 00,43,08, 14, 0E, 14 

1003 DATA 16,14, 25, 14, 33, 14, A9, 00 

1004 DATA 80, 00, FF, AD, 04, 03,80,12 

1005 DATA 13, AD, 05, 03, 80, 13, 13, A2 

1006 DATA 4A,A0, 13, 8E, 04 ,03,80,05 

1007 DATA 03, 60, AO, 12, 13, 80, 04, 03 

1008 DATA AD, 13, 13, 80,05,03, 60, 6C 

1009 DATA 12,13,A5,7F,O0,F9,AD,00 

1010 DATA 02,20,5B,13,90,F1,A0,00 

1011 DATA 4C, 6F, 14, C9, 30, 30,06,09 

1012 DATA 3A, 10, 02, 38, 60, 18, 60, C8 

1013 DATA 81, 3D, C9, 20, 00,03,08,00 

1014 DATA F7,Bl,3D,6a,18,08,Bl,30 

1015 DATA F0,35,C9,22,F0,F5,6D,06 

1016 DATA 13, 80, 06, 13, AO, 07, 13, 69 

1017 DATA 00,80,07,13,40,75,13,18 

1018 DATA 60,08,13,80,08,13,90,03 

1019 DATA EE,09,13,EE,0C,13,60,18 

1020 DATA 6D, 0B, 13, 80, 0B, 13,90,03 

1021 DATA EE,0A,13,EE,0D,13,60,0A 

1022 DATA A8,B9,14,13,85,FB,B9,15 

1023 DATA 13,85,FC,A0,0fl,8C,00,FF 

1024 DATA A9,12,20,D2,FF,B1,FB,F0 

1025 DATA 06,20,D2,FF,C8,O0,F6,20 

1026 DATA 79,15,20,A3,15,20,E4,FF 

1027 DATA F0,FB,A0,1B,B9,EF,13,20 

1028 DATA D2,FF,88,10,F7,68,68,A9 

1029 DATA 00, 80,00,02, 40,37,40, 91 

1030 DATA 91,00,20,20,20,20,20,20 

1031 DATA 20,20,20,20,20,20,20,20 

1032 DATA 20,20,20,20,20,20,91,00 

1033 DATA 51, 55, 4F, 54, 45, 00,48,45 

1034 DATA 59, 57, 4F, 52, 44, 00, 23, 20 

1035 DATA 4F, 46, 20, 43, 48, 41, 52, 41 



1036 
1037 
1038 
1039 
1040 
1041 
1042 
10^3 
1044 
1045 
1046 
1047 
1048 
1049 
10 5 
1051 
1052 
1053 
1054 
1055 
1056 
1057 
1058 

1059 

1060 
1061 
1062 

1063 
1064 
1065 
1066 
1067 
1068 
1069 
1070 
1071 
1072 
1073 
1074 
1075 
1076 
1077 
1078 
1079 
1080 
1081 
1082 
1083 
1084 
1085 



DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 
DATA 



43,54,45,52,53,00, 55, 4E 
49, 44, 45, 4E, 54, 49, 46, 49 
45,44,00,4E,4F,20,43,48 
45, 43, 4B, 53, 55, 40, 00, 08 
Bl,3D,D0,FB,9e,30,04,C9 
06,30, IE, 88, 88, 88, 88, 88 
B1,3D,C9,2 7,D0,13,A9,00 

9I,3D,ce,A2,00,Bl,3D,9D 
00,0B,C8,E8,E0,04,O0,F5 
60, 40,50,15, 40, C5, 14, A0 
9,A9,0 0,99,06,13,8D,0 
0B,88,10,F7,A9,80,85,FD 
A0,00,2 0,3F,14,20,AE,14 
20,0D,43,84,FA,A0,FF,20 
67,13,F0,O8,2 4,FO,F0,06 
20, 8F, 13, 4C,8F, 14,09,22 
O0,06,20,74,13,4C,8F,14 
20,9F,13,4C,8F,14,A0,00 
89, 00, 02, 20, 58, 13, C8, 90 
0A,18,6D,0A,13,8D,0A,13 

40, 80,14,88,60, 18, AD, 00 
13, 69, 4 1,80,00,1 3, 38, AD 
00, 13, E9, 19, 90, 06, 3D, 00 
13,4C,CF,14,AO,0O,13,69 
41, 80,00,13, AD, 06, 13,60 
08, 13, 48, AD, 07, 13,60,09 
13, 80, 0F, 13, 68,60,08,13 
8D,0E,13,AD,0F,13,6O,0A 
13,8D,0F,13,38,E9,19,90 
06,8D,0F,13,4O,05,15,AD 
0F,13,6 9,41,8D,0F,13,AD 

0E,13,E9,19,90,06,8D,0E 
13, 40, lA, 15, AD, BE, 13, 69 
41,8D,0E,13,A0,01,AD,0C 
13, CD, 00, 08, 00, 20, 08, AO 
0D,13,CO,01,OB,D0,17,C8 
AD,0E,13,CD,02,0B,OO,0E 
AO,0F,13,CO,O3,0B,D0,06 
2 0,89, 15, A4, FA, 60, 98, 48 
68,4C,AF,13,A9,04,4C,AF 
13,A9,00,8D,00,FF,A9,20 
8D,00,O4,8O,01,D4,A9,09 
8D,05,D4,A9,0F, 80,18,04 
60, 20,61, 15, A9, 81, 20, 90 
15, A9, 80, 20, 90, 15,40,96 

15,20,61, 15, A9, 11, 20, 90 
15, A9, 10, 20, 90, 15, A9, 00 
BO,04,O4,60,8D,04,D4,A2 
70,A0,00,88,D0,FD,OA,D0 
FA, 60, END 



END 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 109 



Attention 
Programmers 

Have you written a 
program ttiat you would 
like to share witti others 

— and make a little 
money while you're at it? 

Commodore 
Magazine 

is now 
accepting 

quality 
programs. 

• A BASIC routine for 
handling a difficult 
problenn 

• A project ttiat uses the 
Commodore 64, 1 28 
or Amiga 

• A game ttiot is sure to 
win over the world 

• A utility for heiping with 
mundane chores 

• A machine language 
routine to make 
programming easier 

Send for your 

Guidelines for Writers 

today! 

Commodore Magazine 

1200 Wilson Drive 
Westchester, PA 19380 

ATTN: Technical Editor 



WordPerfect Library 

Continued from page 39 

not sure which) locks the pad as a numeric 

input device (not editing tools). 

Conclusion 

When I hmke the seal on the Libimy 
package, 1 wasn't sure I would find any- 
thing unique or useful inside. I already 
owned a good database, an excellent file 
management program and Workbench 
comes with a calculator. So I figured the 
only thing I'd find interesting in the col- 
lection of programs would be Program 
Editor and Calendar. 1 was wrong. 

Notebook (while not comparable to a 
business-quality database) is useful, func- 
tional and amazingly easy to use. 

Program Editor has all the features and 
editing tools I need. It is designed to be as 
easy to use as a word processor, and I sus- 
pect many users will use it for writing let- 
ters and forms, hi fact, part of this review 
was written using it. 

I wasn't thrilled with File Manager, 
mainly because it uses only one window. It 
will never replace my favorite DOS utility 
program, but it has plenty of options and 
should be able to handle the disk manage- 
ment chores of most users. Its inclusion is 
definitely a plus, but I wouldn't go out and 
buy Library just to get it. 

On the other hand, Calendar, with its 
alarm function, is a delightfully usefiil 
program. I suspect this one will get plenty 
of wear and tear fixim me for a long time 
into the future. 

TIk three modes of Calculator will in- 
terest people like math teachers, accoun- 
tants and bank presidents, but my needs 
for the advanced functions offered here 
are limited. 

'ITie program disk comes with an excel- 
lent 600-page manual which identifies the 
Library as another premium offering fiT)m 
the WordPerfect Corporation. The setup 
and operation of each individual program 
is fiilly described in the manual, and each 
includes a separate tutorial. Plus the user 
car access on-screen help for each pro- 
gram by pressing the HELP key. And if 
that isn't enough, registered owners !"e- 
ceive the same free telephone assistance 
WordPerfect ov\Tiers have been spoiled 
with for years. 

All in all I found Library an excellent 
addition to my own business software li- 
brary. Even at its retail price, it is a bar- 
gain for those who need one or more of the 
utilities it contains. My only regi^t is that 
it does not include a miniature spread- 
sheet of some sort which would have put 
the gilding on an already excellent collec- 
tion of software. B 



Software Reviews/Award Maker Pius — 

Contiiuied from /mge 30 

Color can also play an important role in 
yoiu- document's appearance, so 14 differ- 
ent hues are available for your border. A 
four-banded color ribbon will give you ac- 
cess to the full spectrum offered, with 
three-banded ribbons giving you half the 
choices. But even if you only have a black 
and white printer, you can obtain a simi- 
lar result by swapping different ribbons. 
You first print a colored border, then roll 
the paper back and run it through again 
with another ribbon for the rest of the cer- 
tificate. 

Finally, the user is called upon to capsu- 
lize the reason for honoring the recipient 
in the award's Main Tfext area. In this 
most important body of the document, the 
imagination can run free, setting a mood 
as serious or off beat as desireKl. With the 
emp!o3mient of word wi'ap, automatic cen- 
tering and a few easy-to-use editing keys, 
the text-entering process is made effort- 
less. Even those new to computing vnW 
find operations smooth and easy. Once 
this phase is completed, the document is 
ready to be printed. 

The "endless hours of use" 
this package promises will 
be used to design and 
create, not decipher and 
construe operations. 



This program's exceptional ease of use 
is evident throughout the entire creative 
process; fixim the beginning, where an en- 
thusiastic instruction book greets and ori- 
ents the user, to the end, where a well- 
stocked menu helps you to configure 
Award Maker Plus to mateh your printer 
and interface. The "endless hours of use" 
tfiis package promises will be used to de- 
sign and create, not decipher and construe 
operations. 

The finished product that Aivard Maker 
Phts delivers is truly of eye-catching pro- 
fessional quality Baudville stops at noth- 
ing to add an air of authenticity to your 
certificate. The package comes complete 
with twenty gold-embossed press-on seals 
for decoration, and even supplies an order 
form which you can mail away for pin-feed 
French parchment paper. It's as close to 
the reiil thing as you can get. 

Well done, Baudville. Give yourself a 
well deserved pat on the back. Or better 
yet... 

Editor's Note: An Amiga uersion o/" Award 
Maker Plus is now available for $49S5. [| 



no MARCH 1989 



Gold Mine 

Condrt uedfrom page 1 5 

Lode Runner III: Hold down COMMODORE/F and you can get 

up to 256 guys, or hold down COMMODOREAJ and you can 

move to the next level. 

JbmEddy 

Streetsboro, OH 

Maniac Mansion: Alwaj-s bring Bernard into the house with 
you. He knows about electronics and can be ver>' useful. First 
have him open the Old-Fashioned Radio and take out the Tbbe. 
Then, if you can open the Outer Door in the Dungeon, have Ber- 
nard put the Tbbe in the 'Ribe Socket in the Radio in the Green 
Tfentacle's room. Use the Radio and enter the number 1977. The 
Meteor Police will answer and come to the Mansion. 

I wish I could tell you how to open the door in the dungeon, 
but I haven't figured out how yet. 

If you pull the Gargoyle on the right side on the bottom of the 
staire, the door without a handle will open. Have a different 
character walk through it. TVun on the Light and walk to the left 
to get the Key. If you turn off the Circxiit Breakers, be sure to 
turn them back on after the Cut Scene, or the house will be de- 
stroyed in a nuclear meltdown, lb get past the Green Tfentacle, 
give him the bowl of Waxed Fruit and Fruit Drinks. 
Jason AUen 
Boulder, CO 

Missile Finder: During the end of the boost phase you can find 
missiles easily. Call up the EML in the sector where you use the 
OLR, if you have not destroyed the missiles you can use this 
method. 

Second, go to the right of the screen. This makes sure you 
don't get hit by the attack rockets. Fire a laser across the screen. 
If the laser goes downward the missiles should be down, if it goes 
up it should be up. 

When using the FEI, EML or NPB, always stay to the right so 
you don't get hit by an attack rocket. 
Gerr^'Tablada 
Address Unknown 

Montezuma's Revenge: If you lose all your lives on the first lev- 
el, just push the fire button. You'll receive five extra lives, and 
any treasures you had will still be in your inventory. You can 
only do this once, and only on the first level. 
CtiffWaU 
Mulberry, AR 

One Man and His Droid: The passwords Commodore and Bub- 
ble will start you on the second level. 
Jeremy Hubble 
Belton, TX 

Planetfall: You can get the key for the padlock by waving the U- 
shaped bar over the crevice. Tkke the ladder to the rift, drop it 
in, extend it, and move it over the rift. You can cross the rift any 
time you want to. Upper elevator, kitchen and shuttle cards are 
found north of the rift. 

Floyd has the lower elevator card. Just turn him off and open 
compartment. Then at the second complex, you can get the 
cards in the bio-lab by examining the door. Floyd will go in and 
get it for you. The repair room has a small door in the north end 
of the room. You can't fit through it, but Floyd can. Tfell him to 
go through the doorway, and he vrill tell you what is in that 



room. You can tell hrni to get anything that's in there. 
Chad Schmitt 
Address Unknown 

Skate or Die: The world records arc stored at track 35, sector 16 

of side 1. You can u.se your favorite disk editor to make any 

changes. As always, these changes should be made on a backup 

disk, since one false move can ruin tiie diskette. 

Shane D.Dolha 

Regina, Saskatchewan 

Canada 

Spy vs. Spy II: Find any piece of the rocket, and dig pits around 
it. Stimd oQ" to the side and let the computer's spy fall into the 
hole. When he climbs out, start shooting him, (You did get the 
gun didn't you?) If you didn't get the gun, be ready to start in- 
flicting some heavy cranial damage with the sword. 

On a woRe note: if the computer is about to complete the mis- 
sile, he won't stop for you. Your only hope will be to booby trap 
the areas between the quicksand, giving you a chance to steal 
the missile. (This will be your last chance, so be quick about 
your business.) If all else fails, hit the 5 key. No opponent, no 
matter how dogged and relentless, can overcome the reset but- 
ton! 

Matt McLaine 
Walierboro,SC 

Rings of Zilfin: When you're skirting cut it will be easier U> 
avoid the K-plants by going west to the desert fiiom Ziad and 
then North. Be sure to write down the names of people you have 
talked with, as you will need this later in the game. Spice is 
worth a lot in Begonia, Last tea is needed in Sumaria. 
Lance Galer 
Address Unknown 

Rojidwar 2I)(H): T\im off your disk drive, exit gang stat, and loot. 
You will find lots of everything. Don't forget to turn your drive 
back on. 
Contributor Unknown 

Skate or Die; The world records arc stored at track 35, sector 16 
of side 1, You can use your favorite disk editor to make any 
changes. As always, these changes should be made on a backup 
disk, since one false move can ruin the diskette. 
Shane D.Dolha 
. Regina, Swikatckewan 
Canada 

Spy vs. Spy II: Find any piece of the rocket, and dig pits around 
it. Stond olfto the side and let the computer's spy fall into the 
hole. When he climbs out, start shooting him. (You did get the 
gun didn't you?) If you didn't get the gun, be ready to start in- 
flicting some hea\y cranial damage wth the sword. 

On a worse note: if the computer is about to complete the mis- 
sile, he won't stop for you. Your only hope will be to booby trap 
the areas between the quicksand, giving you a chance to steal 
the missile. (This will be your last chance, so be quick about 
your business.) If all else fails, hit the 5 key. No opponent, no 
matter how dogged and relentless, can overcome the reset but- 
ton! 

Matt McLaine 
Walterboro, SC 



COMMODORE MAGAZINE 111 



Gold Mine 

Test Drive; Cruise at about 130 mph, which is the lowest speed 

at which the police can't catch you. 

Danny Correia 

Saint John, New Brunswick 

Canada 

Thunder Chopper; While flying rescue missions, hovering is not 
nece^aiy to retrieve missing personnel. Once you get near, low- 
er the hoist and fly over the man at a low altitude at any speed, 
then raise the hoist once he's secure, 
Frcsen Fire 
Address Unknown 

Ultima II: You need to be blessed by Father Antes, who is on 
Planet X, before you are able to get the ring and win. The coordi- 
nates for Planet X are 9, 9, 9. 
Peter Liang 
Ann Arbor, MI 

Underwurlde: If you have a sprite disabler such as Infinity Ma- 
chine or Final Cartridge, use it! Load the game as usual, reset 
the computer, then 

POKE 33090,169 RETURN 

POKE 33091,40 RETURN 

POKE 792,71 RETURN 

POKE 793,254 RETURN 

SYS 36861 RETURN 
If you need more men, change the 40 above. Here are some other 
important pointers: 

1. Don't go past the 27th level. All weapons are there or below. 

2. The weapons will be in diiferent locations eveiy game. 

3. You need the knife to get past the beetle creature, 

4. You need the bow, found on level 27, for the Minotaur, 

5. Map the game from level 27 to level 0. 

6. The game will be completed when you reach level 0. 

7. You need fireballs to kill the last guardian, the demon. 
With the sprite disabler and over 40 men, it should be easy to 
complete a nearly impossible game. 

Shukri Berisha 
Address Unknown 

WTieel of Fortune: The scoring records are on track 1, sector 0, If 
you have a track and sector editor and don't mind cheating, you 
can change them to yoiu* heart's content. Make sure you use a 
backup copy, or one httle mistake can put your disk away. 
Animesk Gandhi 
Elizabeth, NJ 

World Games: The world records are on track 16, sector 12. If 

you're skilled with a disk editor, change them to anything you'd 

like. 

David Stewart 

Hazel Green, AL 

Yic Ar Kung-Fu: If you have gotten to Pole, you have probably 

found out that he is hard to teat. Well, here's a way: you've got 

to jump around a lot, then when he points his pole down, start 

high kicking him as many times as possible. 

Doug Cross 

SeUersburg, IN Q 



•ADVERTISERS INDEX- 



Advertiser 


Reader 

Rssponse 

No. 


Papa 
Ha. 




Adorrs Software 


1 


103 




Berkeley Soflvrorks 


2 


40,41 




Bfontford Educationol Services 


* 


79 




Cinemowore 


* 


C4 




Computer Direct (Protecto) 


3 


74,75 




Data East 


4 


5 




Epvx 


5 


C2 




First Row Softwore 


6 


27 




Gold Dist( 


• 


C3 




Loadstar 


7 


1 




Microlilusions 


8 


19 




Micro Prose 


9 


S 




Montgomery Grant 


10 


49 




New Line Video 


11 


37 




hJf^i/McGraw Hiti 


* 


81 




ORIGIN 


12 


11,29 




Quantum Computer Service 


13 


32,33 




R&DL Productions 


* 


84 




Strategic Simuiations 


14 


2 




SubLogic Corporation 


15 


09 




Superior Business Center 


16 


77 




Taito 


17 


22,23 




Tussey Computer Products 


18 


7 




VideoMoker Mogazlne 


19 


29 




Worid of Comrrodore 


20 


21 




Xetec 


21 


39 





•No Reader Response Number given at Advertisers Request 



112 MARCH 1989 



Saturday 
Matinee. 



MovieSciler, tlie btesi soft- 
ware blockbuster from Gold 
Disk, is the Amiga owner's 
ticket to pro-quality video ani- 
mation and brilliant stereo 
son nd tracks. And because of a 
software design breakthrough, 
it'll let you create da^/ling 
overscan video movies that are 
minutes - not seconds - in 
length , without requiring truck- 
loads of memory (512K mini- 
mum, 1MB recommended), 

in spite of its power, 
MovieSetter is easy to use - 
even for the first-timer. Unlike 
other programs, it lets you see 
what you anim;ile a.s you atti- 

inctw ir. Using on-screen tools, it's easy to ehiinge speeds (up to 
60 frames per second), colors (up to 32 on-screen at once), tran- 
sition effects, and backgrounds. It's got handy built-in graphics 
and sound tools, and can import IFF graphic and sound files cre- 
ated by your favorite programs. Or you can take the shortcut and 
use the generous supply of "MovieClip" clip art and sound sam- 
ples that are included with the MovieSetter program disk, [Zither 
way, "cutting together" your epic masterpiece will be a breeze 
with MovieSetter's full array of editing features - including the 
incomparable convenience of on-,screen storyboards. 

So bring a little tinseltown to your desktop. Call Gold Disk 
today at 1-800-387-8192 to order a copy of MovieSetter for only 
$99.95 (additional MovieClips sold for S34.95) or stop by your 
nearest Amiga software dealer. 





Combine MovieClips, stereo 
sound, storyboards and.,. 





history features to effortlessly 
create minutes of aniinatlon. 



^ 



GOLD DISK 

P.O. Boi7SM. StiMtsvollt 

Miui»Hil|;3. Onurio. CanitJji. L?M 2C2 

(JI6)S2!i-09U 



This ml was produced using Gold Disk's Professional I'nge. 




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ol Commodore-Amtga. Commodore Elocironic^, Lid.. International BusinasB Machines, Apple Compuler InC-. and Alan Inc. 

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